China to Regulate After-School Education, Bans Grading Tests and Competitions

The Chinese government, which has completely banned private education for elementary and middle school students, announced plans to introduce additional regulations, including a ban on competitive education.

According to Xinhua News Agency, on the 11th, the Chinese Ministry of Education entered the opinion-gathering process for the Regulation for After-School Education Management based on these contents.

The draft regulation stipulates that academic and private education at the compulsory education stage should not be conducted on statutory holidays, rest days, and winter and summer vacation periods and that no grade tests and competitions should be held for middle school students, elementary school students, and preschool children aged 3 to 6. It also banned the publication of academic grades and rankings.

The draft stipulates that the educational and research personnel of academic and private education institutions must acquire teacher qualifications and that non-academic private education institutions must also have corresponding professional qualifications. It also stipulates that kindergarten, elementary school, middle, and high school teachers and research personnel cannot engage in private education activities and that the competent authority must review textbooks used in private education.

In July 2021, China completely banned private education by implementing the Double Reduction policy to reduce the burden on family finances, prevent indiscriminate capital expansion in the education sector, and alleviate the burden of homework and tutoring for elementary and middle school students subject to compulsory education.

However, as illegal private tutoring has been rampant under the table and cases of irregular supplementary classes being held in some schools to increase the college entrance rate have been detected one after another, the education authorities have launched a large-scale crackdown.

The Ministry of Education announced in September last year that it would impose a fine of up to five times the illegal income if education websites targeting preschool children over three years old and elementary, middle, and high school students were established or educational spaces were set up without the permission of the authorities. In particular, where tutoring in subjects such as English, Math, and Science is provided, a fine of up to 100,000 yuan (about $15,700) will be imposed.