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

Image: Pexels

Wall Street English, one of the world’s leading English language training centers, will announce the bankruptcy of its Chinese business next week, marking another sign of just how deep China’s after-school tutoring reforms have gone.

Last night, Aug 12, news of the bankruptcy was reported by Global Times. As of today Wall Street English has not made an official statement on how the termination of its staff and refunds for its students will proceed. However, principals at Wall Street English have already been instructed to go through termination procedures with their current employees.

The decision is another blow to the industry, as China continues tightening restrictions on the private tutoring sector. According to a report by yicai.com, directors of Wall Street English branches are urging their employees to submit their resignation as soon as possible. As of now, it’s still unclear how the company will compensate its employees.

Wall Street English centers have been a fixture in malls and shopping centers all over China, and for years, they were operating efficiently. Known for its expensive but clearly structured curriculum, Wall Street English has long been a trusted brand for English training for professionals in China.

Established in 1972 in Italy, the company has over 3 million alumni around the world and over 180,000 students currently enrolled in its programs. It operates using a franchise model in 28 different countries.

The company rebranded in 2013, changing its original name – Wall Street Institute – to Wall Street English, however, its goal remained the same: offering students of every level immersive English environments where they could improve their language skills.

KEEP READING: What the Tutoring Ban Really Means for Kids, Parents, and Educators

Images: Wall Street English

Kids not back in school yet? Give them a head start with summer programs at The Learning Center, continuing for a final week this month (August 20-24). At the same time, explore the many fall workshops held after school and on weekends, assisting your child in specific areas where they may need a little extra help.

Jumpstart Academic Enrichment camps are for grades 1-6, offering skills, strategies and application in reading, chemistry, history, math, art and much more. Half day and full day options are available. Click here for information on courses, fees and contacts.

In addition, fall term workshops begin in September, and an early bird discount (10%) is good until Monday, August 20 – so hurry! All students from kindergarten through grade 12 can benefit from after school and weekend workshops, with topics that engage their interest and ultimately improve their confidence and their grades. For those kids who work best one-on-one, private tutoring is available at The Learning Center as well.

Visit their website for parent/student testimonials and other center information, www.thelearningcenter.cn.

Photos by The Learning Center.
 

Looking for a tutor for your kids this summer? Look no further than the beijingkids online classifieds where there’s 30+ Beijing-based tutors offering their services in all manner of tutoring, from Chinese to French to English, as well as SAT and IB test prep. You’ll also find math tutors, physics tutors, singing lessons, swimming coaches … and that’s just scratching the surface.

You’ll also want to peruse the Lessons & Workshops section of the classifieds, where you’ll find a few dozen additional learning opportunities for your children, be it fencing lessons, Tahitian dance, piano lessons,  ballet, erhu, karate or something else.

Between that and our extensive events listings here on beijingkids, there should be plenty of choices for summer learning for the little ones.

Of course it goes without saying that if you are a tutor with skills to offer — or an organizer of lessons and workshops for kids, we strongly encourage you to list them for free on our classifieds here.