Local authorities have shown a red flag to a controversial
school in Shanghai which favors traditional Chinese teaching
methods including rote memorization and recitation of the classics
to educate children.
A spokesman with the Shanghai education committee said the
school is unlawful as it did not apply for a license from the local
educational authority according to China's education law.
The school's teaching method and curriculum also contravene
China's law on compulsory education as they are not appropriate for
the pupils and do not conform to national standards, the spokesman
said.
The private school, Meng Mu Tang, was set up last year and named
after the mother of famed Chinese philosopher Mencius. It now has
12 students, mainly hailing from Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Shanghai.
The students, aged between 4 and 12, study Chinese by reciting
Confucian classics such as the Book of Change and the
Analects, and learn English by reciting William
Shakespeare's works including A Midsummer Night's Dream
and the Sonnets.
Mathematics, swimming and yoga are also taught at the
school.
The pricey annual tuition fees of some 30,000 yuan (around
US$3,750) were also criticized by the spokesman because they were
not authorized by the relevant price bureau.
The parents have also become a target of criticism. They were
accused of violating the law for failing to send their children to
state-approved educational institutions.
The school's teacher, surnamed Li, responded by saying "We won't
dissolve the school and will carry on as before."
According to Li, Meng Mu Tang is a private school run by
families rather than a full-time school or training school operated
by social groups. Therefore it does not need to abide by laws for
schools run by social groups.
Education experts have been reported as saying that the teaching
method adopted by the school is "outmoded" and might be detrimental
to the children's growth.
(Xinhua News Agency July 27, 2006)