China university offers US$11,000 ‘micro’ overseas study to help students pass failed courses
Private educational institute ‘coerces’ parents to fork out huge sums for non-existent study sessions or face their children being expelled
A privately run college in China has come under fire for asking students who failed exams to pay as much as 79,800 yuan (US$11,000) to join a nonexistent “micro study abroad” programme to have their fail record removed.
Xian Technology and Business College, financed by Beijing Northern Investment Group, is a little-known institute in Xian, Shaanxi province, northwestern China.
In mid-December, some parents complained to the news outlet Benliu News that teachers at the school coerced them into paying a large sum to have their children's exam failures corrected.
“They intentionally let my kid fail in the test. A teacher called me, saying that since my kid has failed in four tests, we have to drop out of school or retake the year,” a parent told the media.
“Then the teacher suggested a new solution which is to pay 79,800 yuan to join a ‘micro study abroad’ programme. Students will have their test failure records deleted if they join this programme,” said the parent.