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to offer classes on weekends. Zheng “ ing agencies years ago, but it did
saves RMB ¥20,000 (US $3,094) per not work.
year by cancelling the classes, but she Without “Because you are not dealing
cannot feel any pleasure from this. with the demand for tutoring. The
“I am quite worried that he may extra classes, Chinese government is only deal-
not learn as well as before. Without ing with the symptoms of the dis-
extra classes, students’ self-motiva- students’
tion becomes more important,” Zheng self-motivation ease of educational competition by
says. closing down tutoring agencies,
She adds that her son is also not becomes but not dealing with what’s caus-
happy about this, as he feels stressed ing this educational competition,
about fighting for a school place of an more important. which is credentialism,” he says.
elite secondary school after becoming
a fifth grade student this September. ” “
“As long as there is a university en- “The competition will continue,
trance examination, parents will nev- but it will take new forms. Most fami- Because you
er stop feeling anxious,” Zheng says. lies will face considerable struggles,”
“Those tutoring agencies took care Vickers says. are not
of my anxieties and worries about my Vickers thinks a lot of private tu-
child’s education before the ‘double toring will continue at private homes dealing with
reduction’ policy was implemented. on a one-to-one basis, in ways that are the demand
So, now I feel more stressed without very difficult to monitor and in ways
the tutoring agencies, and I cannot that will increase inequality. “You will for tutoring.
find a way out,” she adds.
have to be wealthier to afford,” he says.
He adds that the South Korean ”
No One Will Stop
Edward Vickers, professor of the government made a radical at-
Department of Education at Kyushu tempt to crack down private tutor-
University, thinks the new policy will Edited by Vivian Cao & Gloria Wei
not solve the problem. Sub-edited by Lynne Rao & Linn Wu

Shanghai parents fight for refunds from Onesmart

Many parents gathered outside OneSmart’s headquarters in Shanghai’s Putuo District in October asking for re-
funds ranging from RMB ¥10,000 to RMB ¥100,000 (US $1,552 to US $15,524), according to a video posted online by
Chinese weekly newspaper The Economic Observer.

The New York-listed OneSmart International Education Group (精銳教育) announced on October 12 that it
would suspend all off-campus tutoring programme operations, in an apology letter to students and parents posted on
the company’s WeChat account, after the government introduced the “double reduction” policy that cuts off-campus
tutoring and training.

The company received RMB ¥2.7 billion (US $0.42 billion) of prepaid tution at the end of the second quarter of
2021, according to its earnings announcement issued in May shows.

OneSmart used to be a leading education firm in the K-12 off-campus tutoring industry with 457 learning centres
in 36 cities in China, according to its financial results report issued in May, 2021.

Upon the disclosure of the apology letter, the company’s share price plummeted to US $0.4 on October 11, a 97
percent loss compared to the highest point, and its market value shrank from over RMB ¥10 billion (US $1.55 billion)
at peak to RMB ¥400 million (US $65 million) only.