More than 60 percent of extra-curriculum institutions in China lack required accreditation, China Consumers Association said, adding that those classes are not “necessary”options for children over their summer holidays.
According to the association, as of the end of 2018, there have been more than 400,000 extra-curriculum institutions in China. But these institutions are also plagued by discontent over the quality of the classes offered. In 2020, the consumer association received more than 24,000 complaints over contract dispute, more than 18,000 over customer services and around 2,900 over price disputes.
Chinese authorities have been tightening regulations on China’s extra-curriculum industry. In May, China’s top leadership called for lightening the burden on primary and middle school students, as well as comprehensive regulation of private tutoring institutions.
According to the association, New Oriental Education, an after-school education service provider, has been inflating the teaching experience of more than 70 percent of its teaching staff.
Alibaba-backed Zuoyebang and Tencent-invested Yuanfudao, two leading after-school training institutions among China’s burgeoning and lucrative private tutoring market valued at over $75 billion, were given maximum fines by Chinese regulators of 2.5 million yuan ($389,000) each.
China’s Ministry of Education (MOE) also said that it will establish a department to supervise the after-school education and training sector, as part of a national campaign to rein in the vast but troubled sector.
The new supervisory body aims to strengthen care for the next generation as underscored by the central leadership, while deepening reform of after-school education, according to a statement from the MOE after a meeting.
An online course Photo: VCG
