City slashes number of tutoring schools to give students better life balance

The number of officially registered organizations providing training on subjects taught in primary and middle schools in Shanghai has been reduced from 3,093 to 265 in the past year in a campaign to ease students' burden in after-school tutoring, local educational authorities said on Wednesday.

China launched a nationwide campaign against over-cramming in July last year to reduce the burden on students and promote their all-around development.

It tightened regulations on tutoring companies, including their teaching content, schedules and teachers' qualifications.

They are now required to reorganize their teaching materials to meet natural recognition rules for students, rather than teaching content ahead of schools to help their students gain an advantage over those who do not cram.

They were also told to reschedule classes to teach students only after school on weekdays, but no later than 8:30pm. They also have to set up special bank accounts for students' tuition to protect consumers.

Inspections were carried out to check if they had rectified problems. Only those who pass the inspections can get the approval to continue offering educational training.

"The number of educational training organizations for the compulsory education years – primary and middle schools – has been slashed by over 91 percent," said Wang Ping, director of the Shanghai Education Commission.

Wang reminded parents to pay more attention to their children's physical and psychological health by encouraging them to cultivate hobbies and leaving them more time for independent activities so as to enjoy the summer vacation.

For those who really need extra tutoring, Wang told parents to check the qualifications of service providers, including business licenses and certificates for teaching, and their business scope to avoid risks and wasting money.

"When paying for services, please make sure the money is paid into special bank accounts for prepaid tuition," he said.

"The account titles should include terms such as 'precharge account,'" he said. "And also, please don't pay for over 60 classes or classes of three months at one time."