(ECNS) -- Limited access to key primary schools in Beijing has prompted the scalping of admissions to some schools for high prices, the Beijing Youth Daily said on Monday.
The amount of money required to get a child admitted depends on a school's comprehensive strength, including location, education quality and reputation.
In Haidian district, getting into the Zhongguancun No.1 Primary School can cost parents up to 310,000 yuan ($49,905), while the Haidian Experimental Primary School is 220,000 yuan, and the Shangdi Experimental Primary School costs 180,000 yuan.
Competition for "key" primary schools has heated up as parents seek to get an edge for their kids.
Advertisements by scalpers who promise admission to key primary schools can be found in several online education forums. A tiered pricing system for different schools is part of the offer.
Disguised as a parent, a reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily pretended to shop for admissions to some schools in Haidian district.
A scalper surnamed Yang told the reporter that he had been doing business for three years, and had helped seven children get enrolled in top primary schools in the district.
Admissions to three schools selected by the reporter were priced at 270,000 yuan, 290,000 yuan, and 330,000 yuan respectively.
Yang promised he could get access by bribing the schools' presidents.
"The majority of the money will be given to the leaders at the schools," Yang said. "As agents, we only get 20,000 to 30,000 yuan as brokerage fees."
After the story broke, an official at the education commission of Haidian district responded that no students can enter schools in the district "through the back door," as regulations on enrollment are very strict in the district.
"It is also impossible for presidents at primary schools to accept students for money," said the official.
The promise of "offering paid admission quotas" is just a fraud by profit-driven scalpers who attempt to exploit parents' expectations, the official added.
Copyright ©1999-2018
Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.