New school teaching unorthodox course sparks controversy

CHENGDU: The opening of a family-style private school in Sichuan province offering unorthodox courses has aroused controversy, with an education chief saying it violates the law.

The school is located in a private residence near the famed Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum, which is dedicated to Du Fu (AD 712-770), one of the greatest poets in Chinese history, in the western suburbs of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan.

The school, which has only five students aged from 3 to 12, teaches Chinese and English. Unlike all the other schools in the country, it does not have any course in math.