The Beijing Municipal Reform and Development Commission says they will implement eight measures this year to regulate education fees and attempt to remove any irregular charging behaviors from schools.
The eight measures include implementing the "one-fee" mechanism, which means schools charge a unified fee that includes incidental expenses, textbooks and workbooks.
Measures will also prohibit senior middle schools from charging extra fees according to students' academic records; clearing up the disorderly charging method of schools; stabilizing the fee standard at institutions of higher learning; strengthening the charging behavior of private schools; regulating the behavior of schools of various levels in charging; issuing an education charging permit and fee publishing mechanism; continuing the special checks on education charging; and severely punishing those that violate the rules.
BMRDC emphasized to local media that schools should not overcharge students for exams or trainings, especially from those students that are going to graduate from primary schools and planning to enter junior high schools. Data from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China shows that Chinese schools had overcharged a massive RMB1.7 billion in unwarranted fees in the past five years, but RMB1.6 billion of that has already been returned to parents.
