Are High Priced Elementary Schools Against the Mandatory Education Law?Chen Jingjing 05/16/05 -- Since the beginning of May, wave after wave of parents have come to enroll their students in prominent private schools. At the same time, a national debate has been launched since a report in the Jiaodian Fangtan pointed out that certain schools requiring high tuitions are in violation of the Mandatory Education law. The debate concerning the legality of such schools has once again arisen in Guangzhou. Facing mounting criticism, the directors of many prominent elementary schools have become increasingly worried. There seems to be a consensus that the schools must find some solid legal ground before facing the next challenge. A certain school board chairman claimed that requiring students to pay a little bit of tuition is entirely legal and that he welcomed any investigation of the legal structure of the school, the financial situation of the school, the campus or the curriculum. He further stated that presently, the government provides an abundance of resources for elementary schools and that the needs of the children in the city were amply met. He claimed that those parents who wanted a five-star education for their children should be required to pay a little bit extra. Even if the prominent schools that require tuition were handed over to the government, the government would be incapable of taking over the management of those schools and pay the requisite three hundred million yuan (US$ 38,000,000) to maintain them. Other school board members claim that tuition-accepting elementary schools are important models for other schools in China and serve a constructive role in society. Despite these statements, the current trend in China seems to suggest that these schools will become increasingly rare in China and may perhaps eventually be handed over to the government. Violating the Mandatory Education Law A member of the board of education thinks that providing education for all students is more important than funding private schools that require tuition. Further, there should be no conflict between the laws that require education and the provisions set forth to establish private schools. Furthermore, according to the Mandatory Education Law, local governments have an obligation to equally distribute resources between schools. It does not say the government has an obligation to fund schools for special education students or fund elite private schools. [Remaining text untranslated] [This article is taken from Guangzhou Daily, a newspaper with a large readership in Southern China.] Edited By Zi Feiyu --Translated by Joseph McMullin Go to original article: http://gz.dayoo.com/gb/content/2005-05/16/content_2054259.htm -------------------------- |