China to Ban Foreign School Ownership & Curricula!

3 Minutes Read

•  China's State Council announced new laws halting the teaching of foreign curriculums in schools from kindergarten to grade nine (K-9) and prohibiting the ownership or control of any private K-9 schools by foreign entities.

•  The new tough law, which will come into effect on Sept. 1, are the latest in a series of measures taken by Beijing to tighten control of its fast-growing education sector and public discourse.

 Tough new rules for booming private tutoring industry 

China is framing tough new rules for its booming private tutoring industry, aiming both to ease pressure on school children and to boost the country’s birth rate by lowering family living costs.

The country currently has private K-9 schools that teach local and foreign curricula. Ninth grade students in China are typically 15 or 16 years old. The new law will halt the teaching of foreign curricula in schools from kindergarten to grade nine (K-9) and prohibits the ownership or control of any private K-9 schools by foreign entities.

Members of the board of directors or any other decision- making body at a private K-9 school must be Chinese nationals and must include representatives from the regulators, according to the Private Education Promotion Law published on Friday on a government website.

Children leave a school in Shekou area of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China April 20, 2021. REUTERS/David Kirton/File Photo

 Stricter than expected 

The new law is "stricter-than-expected for compulsory education schools (K-9 schools), especially in the complete ban of connected party transactions, and K9 private schools can’t be controlled by agreement," said U.S. bank Citi in a research note to clients on Sunday. Citi said it expected much of the K12 players' revenues and profits to come "under challenge" as a result of the new law.

The K-9 schools will no longer be able to organise entrance tests or recruit in advance (note: this last point isn't very clear). They also will be barred from establishing private schools or converting themselves into private schools.

Source: Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-bars-foreign-curriculum-ownership-some-private-schools-2021-05-17/

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