(Photo/iqilu.com)
(ECNS) -- More than 170 students holding letters of admission to a middle school in Linyi, Shandong province, have been turned away at the school gate, news portal iqilu.com reported.
Most of the students should have attended No. 20 Middle School, which was full, so they were allocated to the nearby No. 21, No. 23, and No. 40 middle schools, according to Liu Jun, an official with the Luozhuang Educational Bureau.
The No. 21 middle school in Linyi city said it was unable to recruit students from outside its zone because of an excess of new students.
A teacher at the school surnamed Lu said the school's classrooms and teachers were all under huge pressure.
Liu Jun said the students' admission letters are real and effective, and the No. 21 Middle School should not refuse the students.
New teachers would be in position after Aug. 25, which would relieve pressure on the existing teachers, it was added. In addition, a new classroom building was underway at No. 21 Middle School, according to the educational bureau, effectively solving the issue of a shortage in teaching space. The school also agreed to increase its number of new classes from 10 to 12 to enroll the students.
The school in the area could accommodate approximately 1,500 new students this year, Liu said. However, 2,436 children had left their primary schools.
Chen Bingwei, an official with Luozhuang's educational bureau, said rapid urbanization had put pressure on schools and teaching resources. The local educational bureau said it planned to build 20 more schools.
