For a long time, China’s private education system has been thriving. Investors had spent about 100 billion to ensure that the private industry was sustained. At some point, the idea of the private education system was becoming the world’s largest most competitive education system.
However, in July, a policy tightening for after-school tutoring significantly affected the private education sector, parents, and teachers. The policy stated that after-school tutoring should be banned, as the private sector had severely hijacked the education industry. The Chinese government didn’t hesitate to start their crackdown immediately.
The policy also required, that among other things;
- To ban the schools from going public or raising any foreign money.
- Forbid outright acquisitions.
- Those already in violation needed to rectify the situation.
- Private companies that teach compulsory school subjects should go non-profit.
There was tension and anxiety amid the pandemic. The policy left most people unsure of what to do next. There was doubt, fear, and disappointment, which begged the question, what next for China’s after-school tutoring industry?
The Chinese government’s ban on after-school tutoring has significantly affected companies making a profit from this private sector. The media, among other mediums, has widely spread the news about the ban. With this ban in effect, there is a process underway to transform private primary and secondary schools.
Looking Back – Is After School Tutoring Effective?
The question of whether after-school tutoring was effective or not is one that has had mixed reactions. In general, though, after-school tutoring has been looked at positively to improve academic performance among students by parents.
Some previous studies prove otherwise, as the results have produced inconclusive results about after-school tutoring. For example, a recent comprehensive study was conducted based on private mathematics tutoring among middle school students in China.
The analysis did not show a positive impact on helping the student. In fact, they prompted parents to select after-school tutoring for their kids carefully. Moreover, the government had to provide more comprehensive and professional guidelines on what is next for after-school tutoring, thus the crackdown.
The Impact of the Crackdown On After-School Tutoring in China.
After the government implemented the ban on after-school tutoring, a lot of questions arose. What is the government trying to achieve? What next for teaching jobs in Shanghai? What next for after-school tutoring teachers?
The Chinese government had valid reasons for its decision to ban after-school tutoring. For example;
- Reducing the burden on students as the private industry was getting very competitive.
- The hope is to increase the declining birthrate. The pressure to meet the demands of after-school tutoring surpasses the need to have more children, thus a decline in the birth rate.
Many officials cited the cost and the competition as a factor in the declining birth rate. As a result, in 2019, the government offered tax write-offs for tuition to promote the two-child policy, but that didn’t seem to help. Now, it’s encouraging parents to consider having up to three kids. A reform to introduce a new education system is undoubtedly a great way to start.
Furthermore, Beijing stepped in to defuse what the government perceived as a time bomb. The private education industry threatened to disrupt order, so the party enforced new reforms that confirmed their grip on power.
Among these reasons, it was also evident that many parents were using their life savings on online classes and after-school tutoring while subjecting children to too much school work. This was after the realization that tutoring firms were taking advantage of parents.
False advertisements were displayed and this made parents desperate to see their kids succeed in school. As the number of students signing up rose, China’s president lashed out at the industry’s unethical means, which, in turn, led to the crackdown.
Here are some effects of the ban;
- Over $100 billion was wiped off the market. This was after TAL Education, New Oriental Education & Technology, and Gaotu Techedu were forced to comply with the new rules.
- Many teaching jobs were lost. A week after the Chinese government released the new rules, Zhangmen Education laid off 1000 employees. In addition, they terminated the leases on their office building.
- After-school tutoring companies were required to register as non-profits by the end of the year.
- Companies have been forced to comply to survive. After the ban, private education companies have had to reconsider new ways. For example, private companies are transitioning to teaching compulsory subjects to become non-profits.
- Even though the ban has seen a lot of criticism, it has created new opportunities for teaching in China. The Chinese government has allowed public schools to purchase after-school services from third parties. The government subsidizes this program.
Implementing policies on the private education sector demonstrates that the ban wasn’t a crackdown on technology but a part of the initiative to support the public education system in China fully.
The New After School Tutoring Reforms?
Privately run schools are among the three types of education systems in China. The other two are public schools and foreign-passport-holding schools. Since 2003, when the first private education law was imposed, private schools have been increasingly growing and becoming more and more popular. Popular enough to be an outlet for foreign investment.
As of 2020, the total number of private schools in China was 186,700. This number accounts for one-third of all schools and one-fifth of all students.
The idea to set out reforms has been in place since 2018. These reforms were an effort to rein in the initial period of growth. A big of the 68 articles in the new law restricts how education can be monetized, especially where public resources have a significant role.
Another part of the reform states that public schools are restricted from privatizing aspects of their business. At the same time, private schools and schools registered as nonprofits will have the oversight of their revenue streams scrutinized.
As after-school tutoring schools strive to meet the new rules’ demands, their curriculums must now align closely with public schools. Furthermore, foreign entities are prohibited from holding ownership stakes, foreign textbooks have been banned, and the adherence to national curriculums will be enforced to the core.
Conclusion.
According to most parents, after-school tutoring in China has for a long time been a savior, helping students improve their academics while striving to land a better higher education.
This reality came to a stop when the Chinese government enforced laws to ban after-school tutoring. Even though most companies, jobs, and parents have been affected, they’ve been forced to adapt to the new system.
After school tutoring schools have to adhere to and meet the new regulations until the end of the year.
