Focus
Panic ensues about uncertain future of local kindergarten
By Eric Jou and Han Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-27 07:58
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Local parents are fuming about a plan to close a kindergarten to clear the way for a new educational facility that they believe may be part of a nearby international school.
A report in Beijing Evening News says the first thing anyone at the Jiulong Kindergarten knew about the planned closure was when they saw a notice on the wall across the street from the kindergarten's main gate about a month ago. The notice displayed a blueprint for a new facility on the site of the Jiulong Kindergarten.
"No one knows what's going to be built here," said a security guard at Jiulong who would not give his name. "Go contact the people at the education department."
Many parents are voicing their concerns and objections about the proposed project, spreading rumors and speculation that a local international school, Beijing City International School, will be taking over the land and developing it as a branch facility of its main campus only 600 meters away.
"Last month was the first time I heard about the project," said a woman surnamed Zhang, who didn't know about the proposed construction until the sign was put up. "They sold our school without notifying us."
The same anger and confusion is shared by other parents but most of the concern was not about what will be built on the site but about where their children will be able to go to school.
"We currently pay 850 yuan a month for tuition, but if this becomes an international school, the tuition may rise up to 5,000 yuan," said a woman called Sun, whose grand daughter attends Jiulong Kindergarten. "We can walk to a new school, but we can't afford to pay that much money for an international school."
The notice reads "Landgent International School Kindergarten Department blueprints". However, there is currently no Landgent International School. Beijing City International School is, however, owned by the Landgent group.
METRO spoke with Beijing City International School's head Nick Bowley.
"What I know is that the investors bought the land at public auction and asked the school to draw up plans for what we would use the land for," said Bowley. "The school (BCIS) currently has no plans for an expansion."
The developer, Landgent Group, is the organization that will have the final say.
Currently, the Landgent Group, owners of BCIS and the site on which Jiulong kindergarten currently stands, says it has not yet decided what to do with the land. During the development of the area, Landgent has built a currently unused educational facility.
According to the Landgent Group's development manager, Lu Jiahua, the land will be used as public land for the benefit of the public.
"The current school will be moved into the unused facility that was built a few years ago, and that school will remain as a public school open to members of the community without an increase in tuition," Lu explained. "We plan to build a new kindergarten there too, but for now the plans are in the process of approval.
"I don't know who came up with the wild rumors, but, in the end, we wish to better the community."
