Students clashed with security forces at a People's Liberation Army artillery school in a dispute over their degrees, an overseas news report and the father of one of the students said.
Last week’s clashes at the Artillery Corps Institute in Nanjing left about 50 students injured, including some with head wounds who were taken to a hospital, a report from Radio Free Asia and an account by parent Liu Qijun said on Monday.
More than 1,000 civilian students who paid about 50,000 yuan (US$7,200) in tuition fees had reportedly been told they would receive only certificates of graduation rather than formal degrees, as originally promised by the institute.
“They mercilessly beat the students,” said Liu Qijun, whose son, Liu Gao, was at the institute during the clashes.
“It’s all too shady,” the father said in a telephone interview.
Graduation certificates are not recognized by most employers, while formal degrees are increasingly considered crucial to finding a decent position in China’s competitive job market.
Radio Free Asia, a private broadcaster funded by the US Congress, said the Nanjing disturbances broke out on Thursday during talks between institute leaders and student representatives.
Citing unidentified students and faculty, the broadcaster said an officer with the institute pushed a female student, angering the assembled crowd, who in turn vandalized classroom buildings and dormitories.
China’s entirely state-controlled media has not reported on the incident and authorities refused to comment yesterday.
A man who answered the phone at the office of the Institute’s administrative offices refused to answer questions about the reports or give his name, saying he was not authorized to comment.
Calls to local police stations and Nanjing police headquarters rang unanswered.
Clashes sparked by similar disputes have broken out at other Chinese campuses, including at another artillery institute last year, despite efforts by education officials to clamp down on questionable practices at higher education institutes.
Many Chinese schools are deep in debt and unqualified students who can pay their way in offer a ready source of funding. Many students are enticed by the offer of a degree from a reputable school and families often borrow heavily to pay the tuition fees.
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