War of the wives in Beijing

THE Indian School in Beijing will soon be shut down, and probably has been already as we go to press. And, hopefully, this will end the war of the wives of two of the embassy’s senior officials. Or will another round begin on some other issue? The school was started at the height of China’s Cultural Revolution. Since the social upheaval affected standards of education, the Indian Embassy, which was especially targeted during those days, decided to start its own school to benefit its officials and staff. Over the years, the school acquired a reputation among Beijing’s expat community, especially those sections who could not afford the ones run by the US and British embassies. The Indian School’s forte was affordable quality education matching international standards. In recent years, it had also become the school of choice for Beijing’s expanding Indian business community. However, embassy officials subscribed to the view that, since the Cultural Revolution ended quite some time ago, the school had lost its utility. And the war of the wives was another headache.