In addition, public school tuition fees are much higher than that of private schools, which private school principals believe will be the main obstacle for students whose parents are migrant laborers.

What Wang Mengcui, a migrant worker from Hebei Province, is concerned most about is that her child may be discriminated against by city students. Her child once told her "I don't want to be with students from the city. They are rich, and always look down on us."

Along with the school closing notice, another notice for students' parents was sent to the private schools, informing them to get their registered permanent residence books, temporary-stay certificates and other papers ready to send their children to nearby public schools before July 11.

It is now one month past the deadline and only one of the parents interviewed knows about the notice.

A number of private schools submitted applications to the educational committee, looking for a reconsideration of the regulation, but still haven't received any response.

Most of the private school principals believe although it's reasonable to standardize private schools for students' safety and teaching quality, it is too hasty to close the schools without thinking of the school and students' conditions and remedies for the situation after the ban.