Shenzhen School Accused of Profiting off IQ Tests

By Ryan Gandolfo, April 2, 2019

Parents at Shenzhen Arcadia Grammar School in the city’s Bao’an District have called into question the school’s use of ‘IQ testing.’

In order to take the test, students had to wear a device on their head and also had 10 separate fingerprints taken, according to Southern Metropolis Daily. Some parents are under the impression the ‘test’ was simply a ruse, which may be used for fingerprint collecting instead.

Two thousand, eight hundred of the grammar school’s 8,000 students took part in the ‘IQ test,’ which was free of charge. One parent, surnamed Liu, told Southern Metropolis Daily. “The test shows the child’s strengths and weaknesses. But if you want a full breakdown, you need to pay RMB198.”

While it’s not clear whether the school profited from the scheme, parents have raised multiple concerns over the testing, which took place from March 11-15. Mr. Liu shared several concerns he had over the testing, stating “one issue is the school is suspected of using this test to collect children’s fingerprints; another is whether this test is even scientific; lastly, with the school partnering with a commercial enterprise, charging a fee for additional test details, is there some sort of profit scheme?”

According to South China Morning Post, summaries of the ‘IQ test’ were made available on WeChat, with student abilities broken down in categories such as ‘organizing ability,’ ‘innovative thinking’ and ‘brain tissue activity.’

Both the school and Shanghai Aotian Information Technology, the company that developed the test, have rebuked claims that the tests were used to collect fingerprint information or part of a profit scheme.

The Shenzhen Public Security Bureau as well as Bao’an District Education Bureau have already begun looking into the matter.

[Cover image via Southern Metropolis Daily]