BEIJING, June 14 -- Authorities in Leping City, eastern China's Jiangxi Province, are investigating questionable suspension of middle school teachers.

The incidents involved a couple of middle school teachers who were suspended from teaching after they reported issues that were critical of the school.

Zhang Xiuying, a teacher of English at the city's Zhenqiao No. 2 Middle School, sent a letter to the Leping Education Bureau in late May, revealing that the school overcharged students and its financial affairs were problematic, said the China Youth Daily Tuesday.

On June 2, seven days later, Zhang Qiuxia, an official from the education bureau, came to the school, announcing that Zhang Xiuying and her husband Hua Chunshui, also a teacher of the school, were suspended from their teaching positions due to "poor attitude to work."

Zhang Xiuying was confused why the education bureau didn't come to look into the issues she had reported. Instead, they came to investigate the couple, the report said.

The school, with more than 1,500 students, has overcharged nearly 1 million yuan (US$124,681) in the past four years, she said.

"Lots of students come from farmer families. Every time the school overcharged, many students chose to discontinue their study," she said.

The couple's action won support of their students and students' parents.

The city's Party discipline inspection committee has launched an investigation, the newspaper reported.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)