**Sudden Closure of a Kindergarten in Dongguan Leaves Parents in Limbo**
In a surprising turn of events, the Huisidun Kindergarten in Dongguan, Guangdong, announced its closure, leaving over 200 parents caught off guard. Many had already paid for a semester or even a year’s tuition fees. The total amount of pre-paid tuition fees reached a staggering 400,000 RMB (Chinese Yuan), with no clear refund plan in sight. Despite the closure, the kindergarten has not provided a specific explanation for the shutdown.
According to information provided by parents, on January 16, the Huisidun Kindergarten in Shilong Town, Dongguan, suddenly issued a notice stating that due to significant financial losses and outstanding debts, the kindergarten would suspend enrollment and operations for the next semester. This abrupt development immediately raised concerns among parents.
Reported by Guangdong TV on February 26, Ms. Xie, a parent, expressed her shock, stating that the closure was announced abruptly right after the end of the semester, without any prior notice.
The sudden disappearance of the kindergarten left over 200 parents bewildered. Upon the announcement of the closure, the kindergarten still owed teachers’ salaries, social security contributions, and tuition fees from parents.
Ms. Xie mentioned that she had paid tuition fees for 5 and a half months for the last semester, but her child only attended for 5 months. Some parents had prepaid for even longer periods. All parents of students attending the kindergarten were deceived out of their tuition fees, with the highest reported loss amounting to around 9,000 RMB.
Another parent, Ms. Li, stated that she had lost nearly 11,000 RMB in tuition fees.
In total, parents of about 200 children at the Huisidun Kindergarten have been swindled out of approximately 400,000 RMB in tuition fees, with the whereabouts of this substantial sum remaining unknown.
Deeply distressed, parents are frantically seeking information about the responsible parties of the kindergarten in hopes of reclaiming their hard-earned money, yet they have not received any effective responses.
Ms. Li mentioned hearing about internal conflicts between legal representatives and shareholders, leading to the disappearance of funds. However, the police claimed they could not file a case, attributing it to poor management of the kindergarten. As a result, parents are uncertain about which department to turn to for complaints, possibly leading to a dead end.
Some parents expressed their shock at having paid such high tuition fees upfront, only to see the kindergarten shut down abruptly, interrupting their children’s education and leaving their tuition fees in limbo.
This incident is yet another case of a kindergarten abruptly closing its doors that has been publicly reported recently. Earlier this month, the Meilin International Kindergarten in Wuhan was found to have shut down without notice.
Reported by Da Wan News, Ms. Chen, a party involved, revealed that her child attended the Meilin International Kindergarten. Due to the sudden death of the kindergarten’s director last year, many parents became concerned and started preparing for a transfer. “At that time, the acting principal assured us that the kindergarten would continue its operation but required parents to pay tuition fees in advance,” she explained. According to Ms. Chen, many parents, including herself, opted to pay varying amounts, ranging from over 20,000 to over 40,000 RMB. “However, when the new school year began, we found the kindergarten gate firmly shut, with a notice posted stating that due to unpaid rent, the kindergarten could not continue operating.”
Ms. Chen mentioned that although her child has been redirected to a nearby kindergarten, the tens of thousands of RMB paid in tuition fees are now gone with no recourse.
The kindergarten in question is privately operated, with fees including monthly education fees of 4,500 RMB, a meal fee of 40 RMB per month, basic medical insurance fee of 450 RMB per year, as well as fees for outings, transportation, medical check-ups, and more.