A spokesman for the Chinese consulate in Auckland, New Zealand, yesterday called for measures to be taken to help Chinese students who are in difficulties because of the bankruptcy of the school where they are studying.

The China News Service reported on Wednesday that nearly 1,000 Chinese students in the Modern Age Institute of Learning at Auckland were worrying about their studies and living expenses because the school suddenly went bankrupt.

The students are in economic difficulties at present because they cannot get back the money they have paid to the school for study and accommodation.

The Chinese consulate in Auckland, since hearing of their situation, has been paying close attention and keeping in contact with relevant departments on the New Zealand side, said Ran Bo, spokesman for the Chinese consulate in Auckland, in a telephone interview yesterday.

Since the news broke, the consulate has contacted the Auckland office of New Zealand's education ministry several times and has the office's promise that it will allocate funds to help all the students in the school, including the Chinese, he said.

The consulate hopes that the students will be helped out of their difficulties as soon as possible, the spokesman said.

According to the China News Service, the school, after announcing it had gone bankrupt, gave each student about 400 yuan (US$48) to tide them over their current difficulties.

But a girl with the surname Zhou, who has attended the school since March, said she has to pay her landlord 1,000 yuan (US$120) every week.

The Modern Age Institute of Learning is the largest private language school in Auckland and 80 per cent of its students are Chinese, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The New Zealand education ministry said it will give most of the students in the school the chance to continue their studies in other language schools in the country, according to Xinhua.

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