Dozens of parents of students at a private Beijing school for migrant children petitioned district authorities yesterday, urging the government to guarantee places in other schools before the facility is closed.
Between 60 and 70 parents, together with some teachers from the Beijing Keyang Hope School, waited at the Shijingshan district government petition office yesterday for several hours before district education officials arrived and invited them for talks.
It was the first time migrant parents in the district have formally appealed to district authorities since a citywide sweep of schools for migrant children began early last month, a petition office official said.
All but one of seven migrant schools in the district's Yamenkou village, including Keyang and its 1,100 students, have been ordered to close because the government says their buildings fail to meet safety standards.
The director of the district education commission's school administration office said the office arranged for the principals of seven to eight public schools to meet the petitioners yesterday.
'There was on-the-spot recruitment. Almost all the parents found a satisfactory school for their children,' the director said.
