China closes schools for workers' kids

BEIJING -- China has shut down 24 schools for the children of migrant workers in Beijing, forcing more than 14,000 students to drop out, state media said, sparking anger among parents who say they face discrimination.

Local officials told the migrant schools they had not met safety and hygiene standards.

"I felt very sad when I heard the school will be shut down, I have to send my children back to our hometown in Henan," waste collector He Zhongshan, 42, said at the Dongba Experimental School, on the northeastern outskirts of the capital.

"The living standard in Beijing is much better than in my hometown and education here is good," he said. "But for public schools, my children will need many certificates to be enrolled."

While the overwhelming majority of China's 150 million rural migrant workers see their future in cities and towns, they are often treated as unwelcome "interlopers" and have few rights.

China's residence permit system, which channels most welfare, housing support and health care to urban residents, means migrant workers do not have access to state-subsidized schools. -- Reuters