19/03/2014 19:44
China kindergartens 'drugged kids'
Kindergartens in three Chinese provinces are accused of giving prescription drugs to children without their parents' knowledge, CNN reported, citing Xinhua, China's state-run news agency.
The drugs were given to prevent the children from getting sick in order to boost attendance, the news agency reported. The schools get paid based on attendance.
The scandal started last week in one kindergarten in the city of Xi'an and has now spread to several in the country, prompting China's education and health ministries to require its local branches to check all kindergartens and primary schools for illegally administered drugs, according to the Global Times newspaper.
Almost 2,000 children who attended the suspected kindergartens are receiving medical attention as some reported side effects from the medication, such as dizziness, stomachaches, leg pains and genital swelling, Xinhua said.
In an article Tuesday, state media called it a "crisis of confidence in kindergarten managers." It said that many parents are fed up with private kindergartens "which are poorly funded, poorly managed and frequently in a bad state of repair." China's preschools have been riddled with what the state media called "a long history of avoidable problems" such as food safety and physical abuse.
Some angry parents of the affected kindergartens rallied in front of the facilities and local government buildings.