China strengthens oversight of off-campus educational bodies

The Ministry of Education has released a new regulation to enhance oversight of off-campus education training institutions, requiring them to directly connect to a nationwide regulatory platform and bring all pre-charged fees under government supervision.

Established in 2021, the national platform has been operating as a public service system for off-campus training, providing comprehensive regulatory and service support through a website and three applications for parents, institutions and regulators.

Through the system, parents and students can select courses, make payments, request refunds, submit feedback and file complaints, ensuring their rights are protected. Training institutions are asked to adhere to policy and technical standards when listing courses and services on the platform.

Integrating all training institutions into the platform will improve the overall quality of off-campus education and prevent embezzlement, further supporting "double reduction" reform, which aims to reduce students' homework and extracurricular tutoring during their nine years of compulsory education, an official with the ministry said.

Regulatory authorities use the platform to oversee pre-charged fees and conduct supervision, enhancing the digitization of regulatory efforts, according to the new measures.

In collaboration with financial regulators, the platform also facilitates refunds for unused courses according to contract terms, the measures stipulated.

The function of "learning before paying" launched on the platform enables parents and students to choose a post-service payment model, mitigating financial risks, it added.

Currently, more than 120,000 training institutions are registered under the platform, with increased training content and improved service quality, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, authorities have noted that parents have downloaded application forms on the platform more than 10 million times, and the total page views has reached hundreds of millions, effectively protecting the rights and interests of parents and students using the platform.