During a news conference on Tuesday, Aug 17, the Beijing Education Commission announced that no new business licenses will be granted to after-school training centers. Meanwhile, existing institutions that already have a license will be allowed to continue operating, provided they comply with the new standards and regulations set by the Education Commission.
According to China Daily, during the news conference Li Yi, a spokesperson for the Beijing Education Commission reminded the public that “the training institutions should not take up holidays, weekends, or vacation time in winter or summer to teach. Nor should they go public for financing.”
The latest reforms have already led to numerous national and international tutoring companies either closing down or filing for bankruptcy, such as Wall Street English.
Conversely, however, public schools are now being asked to increase their services and fill in the gaps left by the new regulatory changes, such as providing students with additional homework and activity assistance.
All of which begs the question: Might this usher in a new era of Chinese kids enjoying a life outside of education? According to one local mom, “we’re skeptical because we don’t want to loosen the reigns and then suddenly find that we’re behind in school.”
Apparently, it’ll take more than regulations and reforms to convince an entire generation of parents to change their parenting techniques or reimagine their priorities. Nevertheless, it does put a renewed emphasis on the importance of children’s physical and mental health. And no matter what a parent wants, should the new reforms stick, the days of shuffling kids off to tutoring centers after a long day of school and signing them up for even more weekend sessions might soon be behind us.
KEEP READING: What the Tutoring Ban Really Means for Kids, Parents, and Educators
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