By Yan Zhen
A farewell party is the usual way for university students to mark their graduation.
However, a group of students at the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade ended their four-year study with a prison visit this year ... all in the name of education, of course.
The 100-plus finance and economics majors, most of whom will work in banks, security and funds companies, were taken for a half-day visit to the city's suburban Qingpu prison, university officials said yesterday.
"We wish to prepare graduates for a good work start and alert them with a new, vivid and most effective educational approach," said Yu Zhen, an official at the university's school of international economics and trade.
At Qingpu, prison officials arranged for an inmate - jailed for nine years for stealing public funds - to share his experiences and feelings with the young students.
The 30-something inmate was a loan officer at the Bank of Shanghai when the booming stock market lured him to dip into public accounts. The total amount exceeded 100 million yuan (US$13.2 million), prison officials said.
"Such cases seem to be relevant for young graduates, especially those who are going to work in banks and other financial institutes," Yu said. "It's much more effective than monotonous preaching in class."
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