Recently, Ms. Meng from Henan blew the whistle to the Epoch Times, revealing that the North City High School in Yanjin County is organizing “directing and editing classes” to attract students. Due to high tuition fees and unstable teaching staff, students have been demanding refunds, but they have faced various obstacles from the school.
According to Ms. Meng, North City School in Yanjin County is the largest private school in the county. The school, along with other institutions, is running “directing and editing classes,” charging each student a fee of 10,500 yuan, yet many students end up learning nothing substantial. This year, her child scored just over 460 points in the college entrance exam, indicating poor learning outcomes.
Ms. Meng told Epoch Times, “In the second semester of the senior year, the tuition fee for my child was 6,800 yuan, and for the directing and editing class, it was 10,500 yuan. In January this year, my child texted the class teacher about a refund, but received no response. I kept contacting teachers until May, but they kept making excuses, saying that those retaining their student status wouldn’t get a refund. On June 17, I called Director Zhang Yong three times, but he didn’t answer the phone or reply to messages.”
“As a school leader, Director Zhang Yong didn’t answer calls or reply to messages. Each student pays a tuition fee of 6,800 yuan per semester. For students taking independent enrollment exams (not participating in the national college entrance exam and being tested by the applied colleges independently), the school deducted 5,800 yuan, only refunding 1,000 yuan. My child opted for independent enrollment, paid 6,800 yuan in tuition for the next semester, didn’t attend any classes at the school due to independent enrollment, yet hasn’t received a single cent back nor any explanation.”
“This school has a history of misconduct, always resolving issues by leveraging connections. According to classmates, this time, refunds are delayed until after the start of the new academic year when they have collected new students’ fees. I reported this to the Education Bureau of Yanjin County, Xinxiang City, Henan Province on June 24, which led to informing other students about refunds,” she said.
Ms. Meng mentioned that currently, the school is only willing to refund a portion of the 6,800 yuan tuition fee, not the full 10,500 yuan for the directing and editing class. Some students received refunds of 1,000 yuan, while others got back 3,400 yuan, claiming that the school retained their student status.
However, the Education Bureau of Yanjin County, Xinxiang City, Henan Province, has not responded to Ms. Meng’s report. She also inquired with bureau staff about whether the North City School’s “directing and editing supplementary class” had received approval, but received no response.
On July 10, Ms. Meng posted on Weibo an article titled “Teaching or Profiteering Institution?!,” disclosing the situation at North City School in Yanjin County, receiving numerous responses from parents of students at the school: “The school is subpar, indeed profit-driven!” “Teachers change frequently every semester.” “They are fierce in demanding money! Teachers change too often. Sometimes changing classes, sometimes changing teachers. Students don’t have time to adapt before another change. It affects their learning.” “Too frequent teacher turnover, suspecting the quality of teaching staff?”
Ms. Meng mentioned that after posting about the school on Weibo, “In the morning of the 11th, the class teacher texted my child asking for our address, threatening my child. I told them that if they threaten my child by asking for our address, I will expose their behavior at any time, as the school has visited students’ homes multiple times. That afternoon, a principal surnamed Yang from the school promised over the phone to refund 6,800 yuan, but I couldn’t confirm his identity and didn’t say much. I am now waiting for a written response from the Education Bureau.”
Epoch Times reached out to Director Zhang from North City School in Yanjin County to verify the situation. He stated, “There are indeed professional departments like this domestically. Saying they won’t refund? What coaching center doesn’t refund? It’s a fabricated story and not true. The frequent turnover of teachers is also untrue. Many things online are easily twisted and misrepresented, and I can’t disclose more here.”
This incident highlights the challenges faced by students and parents in dealing with issues related to education institutions, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in the education sector. The concerns raised by Ms. Meng shed light on the importance of ensuring that students’ rights and interests are protected and that educational institutions uphold ethical standards in their operations.