JOIN USThree kindergartens in a Chinese province allegedly charged parents USD 190 for a palm-reading test that they claim can predict their toddlers' intelligence and potential, prompting authorities to ban the practice in schools.
Parents in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, complained that they had been offered the test, which could allegedly help them find out their children's aptitudes in music, mathematics or languages, so as to cultivate these talents accordingly at an earlier age.
Though some parents eagerly took their children to the test, many others complained of the high costs and doubted if it was scientific or superstitious.
According to the company that designed the tests, Shanxi Daomeng Culture Communication Co, the reading of palms helps "determine the children's innate intelligence and potential," Xinhua news agency reported.
After receiving complaints, education officials in the city banned schools from offering these palm-reading tests.
"We have issued a circular to criticise the three kindergartens that offered palm-reading tests for 1,200 yuan (USD 190 US dollars) per person," Ma Zhaoxing, education bureau chief in Taiyuan told state-run Xinhua news agency.
Meanwhile, the education bureau has set up an investigation team to find out if the kindergarten management had been ripped off by the company that provided the palm-reading service.
He said all the three kindergartens were privately-run.
The test, was described as pseudoscience by Zhao Yulin, a family education specialist with Shanxi Academy of Social Sciences.
Zhao, who did some research work on palm-reading three years ago, said the test was originally based on genetics and the multi-intelligence theory, but had apparently gone beyond science and could be misleading.