Reports from the Chinese press are saying that Sony’s next-gen consoles may be assembled using students. According to Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily thousands of students from an IT engineering program at the Xi’an Institute of Technology are being forced to work at Foxconn’s Yantai plant assembling Sony’s PlayStation 4. The students are meant to have been told that if they refuse to participate, they will lose six course credits and would be unable to graduate.

It has been put under the title of an internship, but many were assigned to jobs that have no relation to their fields of study, which include assembling and packing the PS4’s. The students even reported that their working hours are the same as the regular workers, the only difference being that they are not getting any payment.

Foxconn told the Oriental Daily that all the student workers are voluntary and would not prevent them in leaving the work if they wished. However, the Chinese manufacturer acknowledged that some of the students were assigned to night shifts and overtime in violation of the company’s policies according to a statement issued toQuartz.

Sony has issued a statement to CVG saying: “The Sony Group established the Sony Supplier Code of Conduct in June 2005 with the expectation of every supplier agreeing and adhering to the policies of the Sony Group in complying with all applicable laws, work ethics, labour conditions, and respect for human rights, environmental conservation and health & safety. We understand Foxconn fully comprehend and comply with this Sony Supplier Code of Conduct.”

This isn’t the first time Foxconn has been involved in a controversial and apparently compulsory internship program, a very similar story involving the same college emerged last year as well.

What are your ideas on this? Does it make you feel uneasy about the PS4? Tell us in the comments.