A 17-year-old student was hailed as a genius, until it emerged she'd cheated.

Summary

Jiang Ping, a 17-year-old vocational student in China who gained fame for her high ranking in a prestigious math contest, was revealed to have cheated with her teacher’s help.

Jiang’s impressive results had sparked national admiration, as she was seen as a rare talent from a vocational school in a system that heavily favors academic pathways.

However, after other contestants raised suspicions, organizers confirmed Jiang received assistance in the preliminary round.

The incident has spurred debate on educational inequities and the role of adults in the scandal, with some social media users defending Jiang as a victim of her teacher’s actions.