By BosNewsLife Asia Service
BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife)– A Christian student was again back at school Monday, November 2, more than a week after he was expelled for his Christian faith, Chinese Christians said.
China Aid Association (CAA), which maintains close contacts with Christians facing difficulties in the Communist-run nation, said 17-year old Chen Le was again allowed to attend classes at the Huashan Middle School in Xinjiang region, amid apparently international pressure.
“The [Communist] Party Secretary of the High School Division and several other instructors and party members from the Huashan Middle School visited Chen Le in his home. In spite of “advising him to pursue his education somewhere else” in the document of expulsion they forced him to sign, they newly invited him to continue his education at Huashan School on Wednesday, October 28,” CAA said in a statement.
There was no mention of faith or religious affiliation in the entire discussion, but the school authorities did promise “to fully investigate who leaked the information and copy of the document outside of the school,” CAA added.
Officials reportedly treated Chen Le well, speaking kindly to him and his mother. He rejoined his fellow classmates the following day, CAA said.
MISSING WORK
“To catch up with the work he missed, Chen Le urged his instructors to offer supplementary training and tutorials outside of class hours to make up for the time lost. He plans to continue with his education and take the College Entrance Exam at the end of this academic year,” CAA explained.
Bob Fu, a former Chinese house church pastor who currently leads CAA welcomed the Chinese move. “We are very pleased that the school authorities responded favorably toward this young man and his education, and are thankful for the involvement of the international community, in pressing for action on Chen Le’s behalf,” he said.
“We appreciate his kind invitation and willingness to not allow religious affiliation to be grounds for discrimination and expulsion. We hope that such cases will not recur in the future.”
CAA said it wants to encourage the Xinjiang school systems “to refrain from using religious affiliation as grounds for discipline in education.”
