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Schoolmasters punished for charging extra fees
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-02-26 11:56
Six schoolmasters in Dazhou, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, have been
suspended from their duties for charging students extra fees.
The Dazhou city government made the decision after seven educational task
forces discovered the banned activities in the six elementary and middle
schools, according to a local government official.
Among the six schools, some students were required to buy school uniforms or
bedding, while other students were ordered to buy insurance and film tickets.
The Ministry of Education states that students only need to pay fees for
textbooks, workbooks and accommodation fees.
The local government has instructed the educational bureau to keep a close
eye on elementary and middle schools.
In the past, students were charged various types of fees as the main support
for rural school operations and teacher salaries.
Last December, the State Council made a decision that rural students in
China's relatively backward western region will enjoy free compulsory education
from 2006.
The Ministry of Education has forbidden the primary and junior middle schools
in rural areas to collect extra fees for students. Schoolmasters will be removed
from their posts if extra fees are collected in their schools.
"Rural schools are forbidden to collect any other fee
aside from the three permitted categories," said Wang Xuming, spokesman for the
ministry, last month.
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