Shanghai's education enrollment sitation is becoming increasingly tense. Numerous consulting agencies have popped up to help prepare students to enroll in Shanghai's top schools. We're not just talking about middle schoolers applying to high school; preschoolers are competing fiercely in the hopes of gaining admission into prestigeous primary schools. Many kids begin their preparation when they're only 3 years-old!
One popular consulting agencies targeting preschoolers, Kuno Method, is currently under government investigation for operating without an educational license. The agency has been ordered to stop enrolling new students for its training session, but current students are not affected.
The issue was brought to light during Kuno Method's registration session yesterday. Registration was set to open Wednesday afternoon, but some parents and grandparents started lining up outside the outlet as early as Sunday, according to Shanghai Daily. By Tuesday, the day before registration opened, hundreds of students aged 3 and 4 were lining up for about 110 spots in Kuno Method's program.
Chaos broke out when parents clashed with some alleged scalpers in line, who were selling their spots in line for RMB1,000 to RMB5,000 each.
Police were then called to the scene and found that the institution lacked a legal license. The company's six outlets are currently subject to an official investigation. Even after the company's doors were locked down, around 20 people congregated outside the company's headquarters. One grandmother even refused to comply with a security guard's multiple requests for her to leave. Now that's dedication...
[Image via NCEE]
