On September 1st, the first day of school in a kindergarten in Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, was suddenly forced to close by the authorities without any prior notice, leaving parents bewildered and at a loss. After the incident, a large number of parents gathered at the kindergarten demanding explanations, and the authorities’ response only fueled their anger.
Videos shared by parents showed a crowd gathering in front of the kindergarten, with police and special forces present to maintain order. There were confrontations between parents and police. In the video, parents explained, “On the first day of school, the kindergarten shut down.”
According to reports from mainland media, a parent from the Jintai District Experimental Kindergarten in Baoji, Shaanxi, stated that everything was normal on the morning of September 1st when school started, but in the afternoon around three o’clock, they suddenly received a notice informing them of the closure and requesting parents to immediately pick up their children and belongings.
Some parents expressed their shock at the sudden closure, saying they hadn’t even had time to process what was happening. Others mentioned that the kindergarten had a large number of students and was well-regarded by parents for its educational capabilities, making the last-minute notice even more unexpected for both parents and teachers.
One parent told “Cover News” that just two days before the start of the school year, they had paid a tuition fee of 5303 yuan and had not received any prior information about the impending closure of the kindergarten.
In response, the local education bureau stated that the kindergarten’s educational qualifications had expired in February of this year, and subsequent applications for school permits had not been approved. They are currently coordinating refunds and the redistribution of children to other schools.
On the evening of September 2nd, the Jintai District Bureau of Education and Sports issued a notice stating that the Jintai District Experimental Kindergarten is a privately-run inclusive kindergarten. Due to the expiration of its “School Permit” and “Non-Enterprise Registration Certificate,” the bureau had repeatedly requested corrective measures, but the kindergarten had not complied adequately. They were found to have engaged in “irregular enrollment” and were thus ordered to cease operations. All 163 children currently enrolled have been redistributed to nearby kindergartens.
The notice sparked criticism online. Netizens expressed their discontent, questioning why the education bureau had not taken action earlier given the expired qualifications. Many commented on the suddenness of the closure, and the challenges parents, children, and teachers now faced with refunds, transferring schools, and job security.
It was mentioned by some that despite the kindergarten being well-regarded for its educational standards, the lack of proper qualifications was surprising. The situation was deemed unacceptable, and many felt that proper procedures should have been followed beforehand, rather than resorting to abrupt closure under such circumstances.