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Various types of charges that parents have to pay to schools have more than offset the relief brought about by the waiver of tuition fees. As a result, the financial burden of educating a child remains high, says an article in Changsha Evening News. Excerpts:
The cost of educating children is among the top three burdens for a family. Along with the other two - low income and medical bills - they highlight the failure of the education reform. The economic burden of bringing up a child hasn't been eased even after the government waived the tuition fees for nine years of school education because parents now have to pay various kinds of charges for after-class teaching, training, reference books, school uniforms and other things. Parents pay such charges because they fear, that if they don't, their wards could be "marginalized" in school. Greater efforts must be made to curb such rampant charges, and the government should allot more funds for education because it is still less than 4 percent of GDP.
(China Daily 05/19/2010 page9)