Feng Digang reads a letter sent by his son's kindergarten, informing parents the school will close for two years for reconstruction. (Photo: Courtesy of Feng)
More than 400 pre-school children in Haidian district will have nowhere to go after their kindergarten announced it will close from January 1 for a two-year reconstruction project.
The kindergarten management sent a letter to parents on October 19, saying that as the kindergarten, which has been operating for 53 years, could not meet the requirements in anti-earthquake and fire safety, it would be closed for reinforcement and reconstruction, a parent told the Global Times Thursday.
The letter, which was posted on a Sina microblog by a parent, did not mention if there would be any arrangements made for the future care of the children.
Feng Digang, whose 4-year-old son attends the Kindergarten Affiliated to the Second Academy of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, told the Global Times Thursday that since the kindergarten has left the problem to parents, he has had to look for another nearby preschool when he should be at work.
Feng said he has communicated with at least eight private kindergartens and two public ones in the district, but tuition fees for the private ones are nearly three times higher, while the two public ones said they have no more space.
Some other parents told the Beijing News that the notice from the kindergarten was too unexpected and was a shock to them. It had taken a lot of effort and they had resorted to calling in many favors to get their children admitted to the kindergarten, they said.
The kindergarten is quite cheap and has high standards, said Feng.
"My parents are retired employees from the academy, so my son has advantages in entering the kindergarten. But it still took me at least three months to finally get him admitted," said Feng.
According to Feng, many parents hope the kindergarten can postpone the closure date or find a transitional place nearby to move all the children and teachers there.
A teacher at the kindergarten, surnamed Yang, confirmed that the parents were suggested to find a kindergarten for their own children but said she is still collecting and delivering parents' opinions to the academy, and will then wait for its response.
Yang told the Global Times that the kindergarten management has been looking for places for these children, but has not found an ideal place yet.
"There is a high standard for such a place, as it must be large enough to contain 400 children, the environment is proper for teaching and there are no security risks," she said.
She explained that parents had been informed of the reconstruction project for years, and so the news should not have come as a surprise.
"The actual date of the reconstruction was not known in the past, but was just identified this month so we immediately told the parents," she said.
Feng admitted that he has known of the reinforcement and reconstruction project for about five years.
"But since they have the intention, why not figure out a plan for the children earlier?" he said, adding that at the start of the semester in September, the kindergarten still charged sponsorship fees of 3,600 yuan ($576), giving no hint that the kindergarten would soon be closed down.
"Two months before the closure is far from enough time for me to find another suitable kindergarten," said Feng.
Yang replied that the sponsorship fee will be returned to the parents soon.
The Education Committee of Haidian District (ECHD) could not be reached for comment Thursday. But according to the Legal Mirror Thursday, a staff member from the preschool education department with the ECHD said they have talked with the kindergarten management and would continue coordinating between the two sides.
It is increasingly difficult for working parents to find a preschool place for their child in the city, so Beijing authorities are trying to alleviate the kindergarten crunch, the Beijing News reported Thursday.
The municipal government issued a policy last year to invest 4.96 billion yuan in three years to build and expand 769 kindergartens and increase kindergarten enrollment by 75,000.
The Beijing Municipal Commission of Education said that next year, another 23,000 kindergarten places will be provided to further alleviate the problem, said the report.
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