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China economy
People & CultureSocial Welfare

Chinese government to crack down on underground private tutoring market

  • The Education Ministry posted a decree on Wednesday that said it would crack down on hidden private-tutoring services
  • People and companies have offered ‘consulting’ or ‘home economics’ to get around the new reforms

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China has spent the past few months reforming its domestic education industry. Photo: Getty Images
Phoebe Zhangin ShenzhenandCissy Zhouin Hong Kong

The Chinese Ministry of Education issued a decree on Wednesday that said it would close loopholes used by some companies to circumvent the recent crackdown on the private tutoring industry.

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The edicts were posted on the ministry’s website and said the government would “clean up unlicensed organisations or individuals who are providing after-school tutoring by calling their services ‘consulting’, ‘home economics’, ‘live-in teachers’ or ‘crowdfunded private tutors’”.
The announcement also said authorities would punish people who provided off-hours tutoring; distributed taped lessons; tutored via instant messaging; organised tutoring sessions at homes, hotels or coffee houses; or conflated academic lessons with technology, sports or art camps.
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“In some places, after-school tutoring has gone underground to avoid supervision, which has affected the implementation of the policy and caused adverse effects. We need to guide all regions to resolutely investigate and punish these acts,” it said.

China has issued a series of reforms targeting the country’s once-booming private tutoring industry. Photo: Shutterstock
China has issued a series of reforms targeting the country’s once-booming private tutoring industry. Photo: Shutterstock
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