Hubei officials are looking into an incident in which a class of senior high school pupils were intravenously given amino acids in a night course in preparation for the national college entrance exam, an education spokeswoman said yesterday.

The bizarre incident, which was exposed when someone posted photos online of the pupils hooked up to intravenous bags on poles, occurred on Friday at the Xiaogan No1 Middle School and has triggered a public outcry over the hardships that pupils face.

Fierce competition among pupils to secure a university spot has spawned a booming market in everything ranging from dietary supplements to special restaurant menus to hotel deals targeting pupils who would be taking the exam.

Amino acids such as glycine are important nutritional elements and are touted in supplements to help boost one’s immune system and fight fatigue.

While stressing that the intravenous injections were voluntarily, school authorities said the…