Teachers tout pay woes

Students at Chengdu Experimental Foreign Languages School watch their teachers sitting outside the classrooms Friday in protest of low pay. (hoolee8.com Photo)

Hundreds of teachers at two foreign-language schools in Chengdu, who have been on strike as a result of low pay and welfare, have reportedly agreed to resume teaching Monday after three days of negotiations and protests.

Protests by teachers are rarely seen in China, as they usually enjoy high social status and are seen as role models.

Liu Ke, a press officer from the Chengdu Education Bureau, said the schools will resume classes today, and the government has temporally taken over school operations.

It is not known whether the teachers' terms were met.

The strike in the southwestern city of Sichuan Province, though a localized incident, has highlighted inadequacies in the school system, as well as among its management, particularly as a result of government regulations, an education researcher told the Global Times Sunday.

The strike started Thursday afternoon when teachers at the Chengdu Foreign Languages School (CFLS) and the Chengdu-based Derui Group, which owns the school, failed to reach a deal on salary.

Teachers at the Chengdu Experimental Foreign Language School (CEFLS), also owned by the group, followed, according to the Sichuan Daily's website, newssc.net.

A 14-year-old student surnamed Xia from CFLS told the Global Times that many students began gathering outside the school at the main gate Sunday to support their teachers.

"School authorities have solicited opinions from all sides and made efforts leading to the resolution of the issue. Students should attend classes on Monday," according to a text message sent Sunday by both schools to the students' parents.

A notice with similar content was also posted on CEFLS' website, quoting the city's educational bureau.
But an unnamed teacher from CFLS said she was unaware of any plan to return to class today, adding, "but I have to take care of the students who return."


Wu, the mother of a junior high second-grader at CFLS, said that she preferred a quick solution.

"I sent my child to this school for the reputation of its highly competitive faculty and its sound management.
The boycott was unbelievable. The school authorities should be responsible for the mess," Wu said. "The school authorities should step up to resolve the issue. If the requests by teaching staff were legitimate, the school should fulfill their obligations."

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