Wendy Zhang/ Shanghai Daily news

"We are sticking to a principle that we will try our best to do the things which are beneficial to Taiwanese people," said Shanghai Municipal government spokeswoman Jiao Yang at a regular government press conference on September 14.
Jiao said the words in response to a case that a Shanghai school for the children of Taiwan compatriots has applied for a name change to "a school for children of Taiwan businessmen" in order to gain recognition from Taiwan-based educational institutions so that they can receive 30,000 Taiwan dollars (US$909) in annual subsidies.
With increased cooperation and exchanges across the Taiwan Strait over recent years, more Taiwanese have invested, worked and lived in Shanghai. Their presence here has caused a schooling problem for their children. By September of last year, more than 5,000 Taiwanese children were studying in Shanghai, and that number is expected to increase this year. The Shanghai Educational Commission and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipality are both focusing on the schooling of Taiwan children and have developed various programs to offer quality education in order to ensure their studies are appropriate. Their schooling problem has been solved. Establishing schools specifically for these children is one of the measures, Jiao Yang said.
Two months ago, a school for the children of Taiwan compatriots has failed to gain recognition from the Taiwan educational authority due to the name problem, so they have applied to the district and city-level authorities for a name change. When approving the name of Taiwan compatriots at that time, the Shanghai Educational Commission and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipality had thought that Taiwan compatriot has a wider appeal than that of "Taiwan businessmen" as, except for the children of Taiwan businessmen, children of other Taiwan residents working in Shanghai can also study at such schools. However, the Taiwan side's rejection of the school due to the name problem will affect the development of the school, the future of its students and will increase the economic burdens of parents, Jiao explained.
"We have suggested that the school applies for a name change. They are now selecting a suitable occasion to announce the name change," Jiao stressed.