Is it true that tutoring was banned in China?

In the summer of 2021, publications appeared on the media and social networks that the Chinese authorities introduced serious restrictions on extracurricular activities. We checked what measures the leadership of the Middle Kingdom took in reality.

The statements that in China from the new school year the tutors will be left without work, can be found in a variety of sources: from thematic groups "VKontakte" And Facebook to IA "Red Spring", from Livejournal And Pikabu to the program "News". Although the authors of different publications pay attention to different aspects of this radical solution, they converge in one: private educational activities outside the state schools in China now at least significantly limited, as a maximum - impossible.

July 19, 2021, the Main Directorate of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Permanent Committee of the State Council of the PRC sent The local authorities are a document in which new principles in education are determined. As the name implies, the purpose of the reform is “to facilitate the burden of excessive homework and additional classes for students who receive compulsory education.” July 24 Document Published State Information Agency "Sinhua".

According to the proclaimed principles, a number of prohibitions are introduced for companies engaged in extracurricular education. In particular, now such activities cannot be business, and existing educational companies should be reorganized into non -profit organizations. They will not be able to attract investments (both local and foreign), go to the exchange and participate in mergers with foreign educational platforms. The institutions that do not comply with the new rules should make changes to their organizational structure. Investors who invested money in such companies, apparently They will not be able to Return funds.

The new rules also concern extracurricular activities. From now on, the lessons associated with the compulsory school curriculum cannot be held on weekends and holidays, as well as during school holidays. Any classes with children under six years old are also prohibited. Also, teaching cannot be conducted according to foreign curricula, the work of foreigners is significantly limited, and the authorities plan to regularly check the content of the lessons.

Due to the restrictions declared by the Chinese authorities, the local online education market has been seriously affected, which has experienced rapid growth over the past years and especially strengthened thanks to the pandemic in 2020. Over the past few days, the New Oriental Education, Tal Education Group, Koolearn Technology Holding, Gaotu Teachedu and other companies Fell by tens of percent. The general index of the paid education industry in China, according to Reuters, lost about 15%. Nevertheless, many of the company already working in this area They said About readiness to follow new rules.

The largest world media call different reasons for such a radical decision made by the Chinese authorities. On the one hand, the popularity of extracurricular education and tutoring Related With the national exam Gaokao (analogue of the Russian exam), thanks to which even teenagers from very poor families can enter prestigious metropolitan universities. Some parents begin to prepare their children for this exam at preschool age. How reports Reuters, at least 75% of adolescents in China in one form or another are engaged in extracurricularly-due to increased load in many of them develop Problems with physical and psychological health. At the same time, some companies did not hesitate to use the “parental paranoia” and offered services of very dubious quality. A similar situation in the industry in the spring criticized Chairman of China Xi Jinping.

Among other reasons, the authorities are called the desire to improve the demographic situation in the country. Although at the end of May 2021 the Central Committee of the Communist Party allowed The family has up to three children, many parents do not risk starting new ones, fearing that they will not have enough money to pay for additional classes and tutors. Without such help, in turn, a chance to continue training at a prestigious university is much lower. New rules probably Aimed To change this state of affairs. According to the Chinesist Alexander Gabuev, these measures are also Help To adjust the popular opinion on the need for a prestigious university diploma for a successful career and attract the attention of applicants to secondary specialized education. It is also important that the fight against non -state education takes place against the backdrop of conflicts between the authorities and large Chinese corporations, for example Alibaba And DIDI. In July, Chinese companies Showed The strongest drop in quotations since 2008.

Nevertheless, restrictions introduced by the Chinese authorities apply exclusively to the school curriculum. Educational platforms can still prepare the Chinese for admission to foreign universities, organize foreign language courses for adults, conduct sports training, offer programming classes, playing musical instruments and other non-academic disciplines. Experts They thinkthat the Chinese corporations employed in the industry, in the fulfillment of new rules, can highlight tutoring in school subjects into separate non -profit organizations, and organize the rest of the courses on previous conditions. However, according to analysts, even in this case, the largest players can lose up to 80% of profit.

Photo on the cover: Song Xinggang / VCG Via Getty Images

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1. Meduza. The authorities in China began to smash a private education. For what? We are discussing what is happening with (chief Russian) Chinesist Alexander Gabuyev
2. Reuters. China Bars for-Profit Tutoring in Core School Subjects-Document
3. Bloomberg. China to Overhaul Education SecTOR ‘Hijacked by Capital’
4. South China Morning Post. China Bans Off-Campus Tutoring in Education Overhaul That Sets Off Market Rout Dozens of Listed Edtech Platforms
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