On October 22, Mr. Quach - a parent of Sima Qian Primary School in Hanqing City (Shaanxi, China) shared the incident with Jimu News . He said that in the first semester of 2023 (when his child was in grade 3), the homeroom teacher (GVCN) informed the parents to pay 48 yuan (about 170,000 VND) to buy extracurricular books for their child. On December 23, 2023, he transferred the money to the GVCN.

However, his child, who is in 4th grade, has not yet received the books. Suspecting that the school was charging for books unreasonably, in early May, he sent an email to the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education (China). By the end of May, this agency invited Mr. Guo to discuss in detail to grasp information and handle the case.

Immediately afterwards, Sima Qian Primary School asked Mr. Guo to withdraw his complaint. "The school offered 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) in compensation, with the condition that I withdraw my complaint on the grounds of misunderstanding," Mr. Guo added. However, to this day, he has not withdrawn his complaint against the school.

Regarding the incident, on October 23, Mr. Cao - Vice Principal of Sima Qian Primary School, admitted that the school collected 48 yuan to buy extracurricular books for students in grades 3, 4 and 5.

"The reason books are delivered late is because we have to wait for suppliers to deliver them. They send them early and they deliver them early, and they send them late and they deliver them late. Furthermore, buying extracurricular books is voluntary for students and parents," said Mr. Cao.

Regarding the school's offer to compensate Mr. Quach 10,000 yuan to settle the case, Mr. Cao continued: "This amount is related to Mr. Quach's son being compensated due to a conflict with another student."

Admitting that he and another officer went to Mr. Quach's house to negotiate the withdrawal of the complaint, the Vice Principal of Sima Qian Primary School emphasized: "The decision to offer compensation of 4,000 to 10,000 yuan (14.2 - 35.5 million VND) was someone else's opinion and had nothing to do with the school."

When asked whether it was reasonable to collect money for books but not distribute them to students, Mr. Cao refused to answer. The school's vice principal said that after receiving Mr. Guo's complaint, the school refunded the money and collected the extracurricular books as requested by the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education.

collects school fees but does not pay students parents complain school.jpg
Sima Qian Primary School in Hanqing City (Shaanxi, China). Photo source: Baidu

Speaking to Jimu News , an official in charge of illegal school fee collection at the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education said: "After learning about the incident, the Department directed an inspection, verification, and action against Sima Qian Primary School. The Department also requested the school to refund the parents for their books." As for the school's request that parents withdraw their complaints and receive compensation, this person said the Department needs to verify further.

Mr. Quach also said that he had received the money for extracurricular books from the school. He admitted that his son had a conflict with another student. "However, these are two different issues. The authorities should investigate and clarify whether Sima Qian Primary School violated regulations on illegal fee collection," he said.

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