Students have clashed with security forces at a People's Liberation Army artillery school in eastern China in a dispute over their degrees, the father of one of the students said Tuesday.
About fifty students were wounded in last week's clashes at the Artillery Corps Institute in Nanjing city, according to an account by parent Liu Qijun, and a Monday report from Radio Free Asia. They said some of the injured had head wounds and were taken to a hospital.
"They mercilessly beat the students," said Liu Qijun, whose son Liu Gao studies computer science at the institute and was present during the clashes.
"It's all too shady," the father said in a telephone interview.
More than 1,000 civilian students who paid at last 50,000 yuan (US$7,232) in tuition fees, had reportedly been told they would receive only certificates of graduation rather than formal degrees, as originally promised by the institute.
Graduation certificates aren't recognized by most employers, while formal degrees are increasingly considered crucial to finding a decent posting in China's competitive job market.
Radio Free Asia, a private broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress, said the Nanjing disturbances broke out Thursday during talks between institute leaders and student representatives.
Citing unidentified students and faculty staff, 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 Tuesday.
A man who answered the phone at the Institute's administration offices refused to answer questions about the reports or give his name, saying he wasn't authorized to comment. Phones at local police stations and Nanjing police headquarters were not answered.
Clashes sparked by similar disputes have broken out at other Chinese campuses, including at another artillery institute last year. Fearing further unrest, education officials have sought to clamp down on such types of 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.
Liu Qijun said several hundred students had clashed with at least 1,000 riot police armed with clubs. He said his son, Liu Zhao, was not part of the assembled crowd, but had been taking photos with his cell phone camera.
"The soldiers grabbed his cell phone and beat him up," Liu said. "My son was injured all over his body."
Liu, who claimed to have paid 72,000 yuan (US$10,400) in fees, said he took his son back to their home province of Shandong. School officials have refused to meet with parents over their complaints, he said.
"We parents are very angry about this. First, this is an accredited school that has lied to us," he said. "Second, it has wasted the youth of my child. It's too big a blow to us."
As of Tuesday, the Institute's Web site continued to advertise that paying students would receive a diploma recognized by China's education authorities.
It said the paying students' program was designed to admit excellent high school graduates with relatively low scores on the national college entrance exam into popular programs such as computer science, international trade, and business English.
