Corruption in the Department of EducationSeveral publishers were found to have bribed a senior education official in Sichuan to get help for selling their textbooks to schools in the province.The former deputy head of Sichuan's education department, He Shaoyong, and his wife went on trial in the Intermediate People's Court in the provincial capital Chengdu on December 21.Charges included bribery and abuse of power.Prosecutors accuse the couple of taking 13 million yuan in bribes from 2008 to 2014 for influencing how prestigious public schools procure textbooks, recruit staff and manage student enrolments.More than half of the bribes were related to textbook selection.Court documents viewed by Caixin show that a number of publishing houses, including Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press and the Beijing Normal University Press paid He to have their publications included in a government-approved catalogue.Schools can only buy textbooks included in a catalogue approved by education authorities in each province.That means publishing houses whose textbooks are chosen for use in schools can make a lot of money.But textbook selection is not the only favor He seemed to have given.The education official was was also charged with abuse of power for renting out an office building belonging to the Sichuan education department to his wife and business associates for less than market value.
