BEIJING, Dec. 17 -- If any public elementary school in Shanghai is found holding an academic entrance exam of interview next year, the headmaster or admissions director will be fired, the Shanghai Education Commission announced yesterday.

    ;The commission reiterated yesterday that local primary and secondary schools are banned from selecting and enrolling students through written exams or academic interviews during the upcoming admission season.

    Private schools that violate the regulation will be ordered to cut their admission quota by 30 percent for the next academic year ¡ª a punishment that would directly affect the school's profitability, commission officials said.

    "We particularly strengthened the supervision and punishment of schools this time in order to break the hard bone and try to ensure a balanced education without study burden for all children in the city," said Qu Jun, the commission's vice director.

    For the next fall semester, children who have just finished kindergarten will be enrolled in public primary schools near their homes.

    Parents also have the right to sign their children up for private schools, which many believe provide a better education.

    Once the number of applicants exceeds the admission quota, private schools are allowed to meet and select students according to their physical and intellectual development. But no academic selections are allowed, officials said.

    Previously, many local private schools organized various admission exams to test students' Chinese, math and English abilities. Such tests placed a large burden on young students, Qu said.

    Starting next year, schools are also required to publish a list of their facilities, such as classroom conditions and sports fields, online.

    Private schools should also list the number of reemployed retired teachers they have on staff.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)