China bars foreign curriculums, ownership in some private schools

[Martin B]

I saw this article get a lot of attention on another forum:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/china-bars-foreign-curriculums-ownership-in-some-private-schools-14825598

 

It seems like the vise is slowly but surely tightening... and their reasoning for this (i.e. to increase the birth rate) was... interesting.

Edited May 20, 2021 by Barfus (see edit history)

[Randy W]

I see it as an effort to lessen the prevalence of "designer schooling" and the "Keeping up with the Zhones's" effect

This is the original article from Reuters

EXCLUSIVE China planning new crackdown on private tutoring sector - sources

Quote

 

As well as protecting sleep-deprived students, Beijing sees the changes as a financial incentive for couples to have more children as it seeks to shore up a rapidly declining birth rate, the sources said.

"It's rather urgent to lessen students' workloads, and reduce the financial burden on their parents who are becoming reluctant to have more kids," one source said.

 . . .

Living costs in big cities, with education accounting for a big chunk of that, have deterred couples from having children.

The new rules would seek to limit fees charged by companies for tutoring, one of the sources told Reuters.

 

The article the CNA article copied from is at https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-bars-foreign-curriculum-ownership-some-private-schools-2021-05-17/

[Randy W]

To meet China’s growing demand for international schools, many institutions are highlighting their exotic offerings — such as English as a medium of instruction. But is anybody actually benefitting from this embrace of English-language learning?

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
 https://www.facebook.com/1570821646570023/posts/2953821528270021/

The Problem With China’s English-Only Schools
English as a medium of instruction is increasingly popular with parents looking to prepare their kids for an overseas education, but what do the students think?

Quote

 

In 1999, just 86 schools taught international curricula, by 2019 there were over 800. That number is expected to rise, as private institutions in the U.K. and elsewhere open satellite campuses across the country.

These institutions are hardly universally accessible: The average annual tuition at international high schools in Shanghai was over 250,000 yuan ($36,000) in 2019, or roughly four times the city’s average disposable income. The parents opting to send their kids to international schools generally see them as an alternative to China’s grueling college-entrance exam system and a way to prepare their kids for an overseas education. To meet this demand, schools highlight their exotic — from a Chinese perspective — offerings: sports like equestrian and rugby, Western etiquette and courses on English tea art, and of course, English-language instruction.

 . . .

As a young teacher, I take pride in ensuring my classroom is inclusive of all students and their needs. Yet I’ve gradually come to realize that international schools’ obsession with all-English instruction isn’t aimed at helping the students, but their parents. Once, the mother of a boy in my class asked me not to give any Chinese definitions of English words; she also insisted that her son use an English-English dictionary.

The kids are less enthused. “It is us that are learning. Not our parents. We didn’t ask for this,” one student confided in me.