Expulsions and arrests of foreign teachers have increased at an alarming in China as part of the education system cleansing. The rationale is that patriotism or love of country requires such tactics.
A paradigm shift has been evident in China’s education structure because schools have acknowledged the arrests of foreign teachers and their short-term custody for small crimes. As a result, police have broadened their clampdown whereby new tactics are utilized.
Education officials detained
Education First (EF), a Switzerland-based company that operates three hundred (300) schools in fifty (50) Chinese cities cites the alarming rate of detentions witnessed.
Reportedly, the arrested foreign teachers were involved in proclaimed crimes such as cybersecurity infringement, fighting, and drugs, among others.
An internal notice alleged that police arrested Education First staff from different locations such as their homes, nightclubs, and workplaces. They were subjected to intensive questioning as well as drug testing.
Similar sentiments were echoed by an international institution located in Beijing as well as a teaching agency found in Shanghai. Specifically, they established that arrests had increasingly soared.
Nevertheless, an EF spokeswoman asserted that in spite of the misfortunes, the company valued the significant collaboration it had with the Chinese administration.
She also stated that the staff was constantly reminded about the importance of complying with legal policies.
Education system needs ‘positive’ image
IPO Pang Xingpu’s principal attorney, Peter Pang, asserts that China’s education system needs overhauling for cleansing purposes.
He clarifies that this is a primary objective of President Xi Jinping’s administration to have a positive public image to the world at large.
The detentions and arrests witnessed have emerged amid increasing tensions between western nations and China.
In 2017, there were about four hundred thousand (400,000) foreign workers in China’s education sector. This was the last year when such official figures were made available.
The Chinese education industry has been abused from both ends as numerous foreign teachers have been functioning without the right visas.
Nevertheless, the backlash witnessed could tarnish China’s international reputation as well as increase the exploitation of qualified teachers. This trend is happening even as the nation has elevated support and care for international students.
