The case of a former headmaster accused of embezzling more than 10 million yuan (1.4 million U.S. dollars) in "school choosing fees" has again thrown the spotlight on illegal payments paid by Chinese parents.

Liu Yanwen, former headmaster of Dongfeng East Elementary School in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, will face trial after police handed the case to prosecutors on May 22, Saturday's China Daily quoted local media as saying.

It's understood that the woman has been in police custody since the alleged fraud was uncovered last month.

The incident has highlighted the issue of "school choosing fees", where parents are charged money to send their children to good schools. These payments are often referred to as donations or voluntary contributions because "school choosing fees" are illegal.

The Compulsory Education Law states students will not be charged any tuition fee for the nine-year compulsory education in primary and junior high school. According to the law, children are required to go the closest school. But experts said parents were often willing to pay money to get their children into good schools with better education resources.

Elite schools are accused of increasing quotas of students from other school areas and then asking parents of those children to pay money.

Xu Xunlei, an independent commentator, said the government should increase funding to all schools: "If there was not such a big gap between primary schools, nobody would have to choose schools."

Experts also say that the illegal payments can sometimes lead to the corruption of teachers and officials.

Last year, Wang Cuijuan, schoolmaster of the No. 3 Elementary School in Zhongguancun, Beijing, and three other school officials, allegedly embezzled 100 million yuan of "school choosing fees". A verdict is yet to be reached.

Xiao Huazhong, a migrant worker in Guangzhou, said he was asked for "school-choosing fees" from all three elementary schools in Tongliang county in the southwestern Chongqing municipality.

He decided to send his child to Bashan No. 1 Experimental School, the most expensive but also the most prestigious institution. Xiao said he paid 9,000 yuan, and received a receipt for "donation for Teacher's Day" instead of "school-choosing fee".

Later, after learning that such fees were illegal, Xiao asked the school and the local education bureau to give his money back. Last Thursday, Xiao said the school told him that if he wanted his money back then his child would have to leave.

"Parents pay the money voluntarily and this is the first time I've met someone with regrets about it," Zhao Pingyin, director of the education bureau in Tongliang, told the Beijing News.

(Xinhua News Agency May 30, 2009)