Recently, the issue of charging fees for midday rest at Junhe Bay Primary School in Chanhe District, Luoyang City, Henan Province has sparked widespread attention online. It is reported that this public school charges students for using “midday rest chairs” at a cost of 115.20 yuan per semester. Faced with criticism, the Chanhe District Education Bureau changed its stance three times, and on November 28, it finally confirmed the charges and issued an apology.
According to reports from mainland media, some parents of students recently raised concerns about the unreasonable fees for students using the school’s “midday rest chairs” at Junhe Bay Primary School. They questioned, “Aren’t the desks and chairs purchased by the school? Is the third party a furniture business in Luoyang?” A screenshot attached showed a payment of 115 yuan for the “midday rest chair” on October 19. Earlier, some netizens also reported that the school charged a fee for midday desks and chairs, amounting to 115 yuan per semester, involving students from grades 1 to 3.
On November 3, the Chanhe District Education Bureau responded, stating that the “midday rest chair” was provided free of charge by a third party, and that the school only collected a usage fee of 0.9 yuan per day. If parents did not need it, the school could arrange for students to rest in the classroom.
Following complaints, the Chanhe District Education Bureau issued another response on November 24, stating that Junhe Bay Primary School, in collaboration with a caring company, launched a cost-price midday rest facility. After consulting with the Parents’ Committee and reaching a consensus, 1150 midday rest chairs were allocated for after-school care students, with fees calculated daily and a mechanism in place for monthly amortization and end-of-term settlement. Students were free to choose whether to use the reclining chairs for rest.
On November 26, reporters from “Xiaoxiang Morning Post” made several attempts to contact the school by phone, but received no response. Subsequently, reporters contacted the Chanhe District Education Bureau, where staff stated that similar incidents had not occurred in schools under their jurisdiction and that they would investigate the responses to netizens.
However, the issue continued to generate heat.
On November 28, the Chanhe District Education Bureau in Luoyang City announced that in response to recent online reports regarding the collection of fees for midday rest at Junhe Bay Primary School, a task force was established, and after an investigation, the reported situation was confirmed to be true.
The announcement stated that Junhe Bay Primary School, in order to improve students’ midday rest conditions, sought opinions from the Parents’ Committee and decided, based on voluntary participation, to provide midday rest chair rental services to students in need through a third party. However, due to inadequate scrutiny in the implementation process, it led to discussions among parents of students. The task force has ordered the school to refund all fees collected and to investigate and handle responsibilities. The bureau expressed deep apologies for the inconvenience and concerns caused to parents, teachers, students, and all sectors of society.
Publications questioned, “The basic teaching facilities of public schools are public resources, and students have the right to use desks and chairs for midday rest as they should. The school involved packaged midday rest desks and chairs as a ‘third-party donation’ and then decided to charge through the Parents’ Committee, essentially turning public resources into fee-based items… A more critical issue to scrutinize is the credibility of the ‘Parents’ Committee agreement’. Committee decisions should be open, transparent, and approved by all parents. However, in reality, problems such as asymmetric information and irregular voting procedures are not uncommon.”
On Weibo, a popular user named “Naughty Guo Beile” expressed, “They say they want to improve the students’ midday rest environment, but in reality, they aim to reduce the burden on the principal’s family. The money you collect, even if given to teachers as overtime pay for supervision, wouldn’t cause such backlash. Taking money from students, even if parents are poor, they still have to spend it.
“In this day and age, no one is a fool; everyone understands what’s going on. On one side, there is a manufacturer of midday rest chairs, on the other, they hold a trump card. Are these shabby chairs really that costly? Probably more of a public relations expense, a bit more expensive. Can’t the school survive without income from this?
“A notice is issued, seemingly voluntary, but if you don’t rent it, your child won’t be able to use it, creating a psychological gap. In some places, a few insinuations and you can only accept it with gritted teeth.
“Parents do assignments, parents grade papers, parents patrol the school, gifts must not be lacking. Constantly collecting fees, but grades aren’t improving, isn’t this a joke? What’s the purpose of the school, might as well take online classes, apart from lacking social interaction, there isn’t much difference.”