Vanishing school leaves angry parents out of pocket
- Source: Global Times
- [09:47 July 14 2010]
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By Zhang Cao
Some 20 angry parents stomped into the Jing'an District Public Security Bureau on Jiaozhou Road on Monday to lodge their complaints about an English school that had disappeared with their money.
The parents had prepaid for tuition for their children at All-round Education, which was based in Nanzheng Building in Jing'an district. However, according to police, the offices of All-round Education had been cleared out when they investigated on Monday, and no employees could be found.
None of the four Shanghai schools owned by All-round Education could be reached by the Global Times Tuesday. The three chain schools in Hangzhou and two in Anhui listed on the company's website, which was still accessible Tuesday, said that they had previously been owned by All-round Education, but had changed hands in May.
"The payment from the parents ranges from 10,000 yuan ($1,476) to 70,000 yuan ($10,332)," said a police officer surnamed Pan from the the economic crime team of Jing'an Public Security Bureau, "We are still investigating the case."
He added that students who had paid 70,000 yuan ($10,332) had already taken some lessons at the school over the last several months, and that their losses may be just around 10,000 yuan ($1,476). "But when these students went to the school for the first class of the summer holiday on Monday, they found it had vanished," he said.
A math teacher surnamed Yan told the Global Times Tuesday that he once worked in the school from 2007 to 2009, and that he was well paid. "We were all part-time teachers, and high school students paid around 100 yuan ($14.76) for an hour," Yan said. "But I heard that recently some teachers didn't get their salary." Yan refused to provide contact details of recent staff at the school.
The official website of the Shanghai Administration of Industry and Commerce lists the school as being owned by Shanghai Lerong Education Investment Management Company, which was registered in Chongming county on August 22, 2007 with a registered capital of 300,000 yuan ($44,280). However, its business scope is given as "education investment management and education information consultation," meaning it is not allowed to teach.
"If an organization wants to be a school and give lessons, it needs to get a license from the local education bureau, as well as have 500,000 yuan ($73,800) in registered capital," said Wang Xin, a spokesperson for the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission.
