Education center shut down over unpaid rent
By Liang Yiwen |
January 17, 2013, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A DOWNTOWN child education center closed unexpectedly, leaving parents who had paid tens of thousands of yuan in tuition in the lurch.
Think Try and Play Child Development Center, known as TTP or "Play Everyday" in Chinese, had claimed to be the first professional physical education center for children in the country.
The center, which provided a range of courses including swimming, mini golf and rock climbing, had been popular among parents for its idea of making education fun. It had attracted lots of children aged between 3 and 15 years old.
However, parents were surprised to learn the center, on Wuding Road in Jing'an District, closed on Tuesday.
The center's door was sealed with a notice stating the property management company had cut the power supply and shut its doors because the center had failed to pay the rent.
"I didn't receive any closure notice," said a parent who identified herself as Quan Zizai. "I paid 17,300 yuan (US$2,781.5) for a one-year course last October and my child had only gone there about 10 times."
Many parents had a similar experience. A group of 40-plus angry parents went to the police to report the case on Tuesday, she said. Parents estimated they lost a combined 1 million yuan (US$160,725).
Parents were surprised to find the company was registered as a fitness center with the Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce, rather than an education institution.
Apart from physical training, the center also provided language classes and other academic courses, which made it appear as an education institution, according to some parents.
Think Try and Play Child Development Center, known as TTP or "Play Everyday" in Chinese, had claimed to be the first professional physical education center for children in the country.
The center, which provided a range of courses including swimming, mini golf and rock climbing, had been popular among parents for its idea of making education fun. It had attracted lots of children aged between 3 and 15 years old.
However, parents were surprised to learn the center, on Wuding Road in Jing'an District, closed on Tuesday.
The center's door was sealed with a notice stating the property management company had cut the power supply and shut its doors because the center had failed to pay the rent.
"I didn't receive any closure notice," said a parent who identified herself as Quan Zizai. "I paid 17,300 yuan (US$2,781.5) for a one-year course last October and my child had only gone there about 10 times."
Many parents had a similar experience. A group of 40-plus angry parents went to the police to report the case on Tuesday, she said. Parents estimated they lost a combined 1 million yuan (US$160,725).
Parents were surprised to find the company was registered as a fitness center with the Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce, rather than an education institution.
Apart from physical training, the center also provided language classes and other academic courses, which made it appear as an education institution, according to some parents.
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