Two private schools in Liaoning province have gone bankrupt and closed due to the financial downtown of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving over a hundred teachers unpaid and unemployed.

Following an abrupt class suspension on Sept. 20, Fuxin City Bochuang School descended into chaos. Torn books were scattered all over the school ground and a huge group of students were leaving the campus with their luggage, according to online footage. “Destroy everything in the classroom,” a parent shouted. Public security officers were seen at the scene to maintain order.

Affected students were relocated to four schools, including three public ones and a private one.

Mainland media reports that nearly a dozen former teachers accused the school of owing insurance fees since last October. Some teachers were dismissed in July because the school failed to recruit enough students.

According to one former teacher, the school has not been paying their salaries or insurance since 2018. The school did not make the payment taken from their salaries to the insurance companies as stipulated in the contracts, and teachers were cut off from the insurance scheme. As the school’s investors are in heavy debt, it could not continue its operation and the principal has also fled amid the financial turmoil.

A teacher claimed that the school owes her three months of salaries and two years of insurance fees. The longest period she has gone without pay was nearly half a year. She did not learn the news of students' relocation until Sept. 22 when she was teaching.

The local education bureau said it is investigating the incident.

Click here for Chinese version

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