Crackdown on 'mystery' school fees launched

Unexplained charges for education are to be investigated, the Ministry of Education said on Tuesday.

Together with the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission, the ministry released a notice stipulating that arbitrary fees at elementary and middle schools, whether for tutorial classes, transferring schools or recruitment, will be severely dealt with once discovered.

The notice also forbids teachers to accept gifts or cash payments from parents. Those taking bribes to help students or parents gain improper benefits will be named, shamed and punished.