China’s Ban on Private Tuition Backfires: Parents and Kids Struggle

In July 2021, China banned private tuition to reduce the cost of raising children and ease students’ workload. However, this decision has led to unintended consequences. The demand for private tutors remains high, pushing the activity into the black market and making it more expensive and risky for parents, kids, and teachers.

Increased Costs and Risks

Parents like Zoe Pan, a finance executive in Beijing, now pay more for private tuition. Before the ban, she spent 300 yuan (around USD 43) per hour for her son’s classes. Now, she pays an extra 150 yuan (around USD 22) per hour. Finding tutors has become difficult, relying on word-of-mouth recommendations to avoid detection by authorities.

Illegal Tuition Classes

Despite the ban, illegal tuition classes continue in secret locations. In Guangzhou, authorities reported ongoing illegal classes and warned offenders. In January 2024, a junior high student in Hubei province reported his heavy workload from illegal classes to the police.

Parents’ Concerns

Parents like Cheng in Beijing have to arrange secret classes for their children, sometimes traveling to distant locations. Cheng worries about the quality of education as the cost of tutors increases. Some parents find loopholes by repackaging tuition classes under different names, such as logical thinking programs for mathematics and drama courses for English.

Struggles for Quality Education

Parents in Shanghai, like one mother, give tutors extra money to secure spots in repackaged classes for their children. The competition for these spots is intense, requiring early booking.

Overall, the ban has not achieved its intended goals, leaving parents, children, and teachers in a challenging situation.