Company head held in beating of children

The head of an education company was detained in connection with the beating of three children at a summer camp in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province.

The company's business license will be revoked, according to a statement on Thursday by the government of Yuanshi county, where the camp was held.

The Hebei Junshang Education Base was run by a private company. It held a summer camp this month providing military-style training for youngsters aged between 6 and 16 who signed up and paid a fee.

The company's head, surnamed Quan, was alleged to have beaten three children－all about 10 years old－because one of them was planning to escape the camp, according to a media report by Jimu News on Aug 14. The beating allegation was confirmed in the government's statement on Thursday in reply to a China National Radio report.

Quan was administratively detained for 15 days. In addition, he is accused of abusing children under his guardianship, a criminal matter. A criminal case was opened on Tuesday, and an investigation is underway, the statement said.

Two related companies, Hebei Junshang Study and Tourism Service Co and Hebei Junshang Education Technology Co, seriously violated the law and are suspected of doing business illegally, the statement said, adding that both have been shut down and their business licenses are in the process of being revoked.

According to an earlier media report by Jimu News, the 14-day camp opened on Aug 1, and no parents were allowed to visit. On the fifth day, a boy sent WeChat messages to his mother, including a picture of bruises on his body. However the messages were withdrawn immediately.

Worried, his mother started from home in the province's Hengshui city that day－about 100 kilometers from Yuanshi county－and went to the school where the camp was in progress. She found out her son had been beaten by the principal because the boy's diary indicated he intended to escape.

The county has launched a campaign to rectify problems at summer camps and similar outdoor activities to prevent such incidents from happening again, the statement said.

"There are various kinds of training activities like this, but there is a shortage in supervision and management over the qualification and quality of their organizers and employees, especially for how they carry out the activities," Chu Zhaohui, a senior researcher with the National Institute of Education Sciences, said in a phone interview with China Education Network Television on Tuesday.

"Government organs concerning education, tourism and human resources should regulate such summer camps so that the juveniles' safety and health can be protected," Xiong Bingqi, head of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said on the program.