Parent Questions Closure of Chinese Language School

Language Learning

Thursday, June 25, 2026, 4:45 pm

Western Chinese Language School staff are owed unpaid wages for May.

A parent, Sarah, is upset about the school's sudden closure.

She has lost money for her child's tuition fees.

The school closed due to financial issues after 17 years.

This is very surprising.

Sarah and 27 other families must find a new school for their children.

Many students are unsure about their future.

The school had about 300 students, including those in the VCE group.

Some parents now have to drive far to take their children to another school.

Teacher Linda is worried about her students.

Linda's students loved learning Chinese.

Linda is sad and a little angry.

Some teachers are owed a lot of money.

Cheng, a teacher, says she and others have not been paid for May.

Cheng questions who made the decision to close the school.

The administrators said the school and community made the decision together.

Cheng does not know who this community is.

There are concerns about how the school is run.

In 2022, teachers first spoke out about not being paid correctly.

This is not the first time there have been issues with a Chinese language school.

Four years ago, teachers from another school also had problems with pay.

Those teachers said the school's management was not transparent.

Some teachers say they are owed money for work done over many years.

Teacher Sunny Sun says nothing has changed since they spoke out in 2022.

He wants the authorities to investigate.

If nothing is done, people will lose trust in the government.

The ABC asked the XJS chairperson about Mr. Sun's concerns but got no reply.

Documents show the WCLS principal and others met with administrators in March.

The ABC asked Consumer Affairs Victoria about the WCLS case, but they would not comment.

The school received money from taxpayers.

In 2025, the school got $82,593 from the Victorian Education Department.

The department will not comment on the case.

The department says VCE students can go to another school.

More could have been done to protect students.

Affected students are looking for new schools.

Sarah has unanswered questions about the school's financial management.

Administrators said the school was insolvent and had many debts.

The total amount owed is not yet known.

Sarah is not convinced by the explanation.

She does not understand why the school closed suddenly.

Students and parents want more transparency and solutions.

There should have been better planning and communication.

The school principal has not responded to the ABC.

Sarah questions if authorities should have done more.

If there were serious issues, maybe something could have been done to protect students.

Other parents share similar concerns.

Administrators will continue to investigate the school's situation.

It is unlikely the school will reopen.

Rodgers Reidy did not respond to requests for comment.

The peak association for language schools declined to comment.

The school withdrew its court case against Fair Work.

The Western Chinese Language School was linked to another school, Xin Jin Shan.

The link between the schools is less clear now.

Both schools use the same accounting firm.

WCLS staff have been pictured with a banner listing the XJS website.

The anti-corruption commission searched XJS offices last year.

The commission did not comment on the investigation.

The search was about alleged misuse of public funding.

XJS was fighting a Fair Work Ombudsman compliance notice.

After WCLS's appeal was dismissed, XJS withdrew its case.

The Fair Work Ombudsman said it was not appropriate to comment further.

XJS declined to comment.

Sarah supports the teachers' efforts to be paid fairly.

She thinks the school should have paid the teachers correctly.

There should be a department watching the schools.

Thursday, June 25, 2026, 4:45 pm

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