Chongqing- Liu Xiya, deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), also the Secretary of the Party Committee and president of Chongqing Xiejiawan Primary School in Jiulongpo District, has called for regulating the after-school tutoring market and behaviors that disturb the ecology of basic education.

Basic education in China includes pre-school education (usually three years), primary education (six years, usually starting at the age of six), and secondary education (six years).

Issue of off-campus tutoring

In recent years, all the chaos in the off-campus tutoring market, such as the disorderly development of teaching beyond the syllabus and illegal charges, are all about regulation.

Through investigation and research, Liu has made relevant suggestions on education for many years, reflecting on the interest-interrelated behaviors between after-school tutoring institutions and schools.

She suggested strengthening the governance of the admission process, where tutoring institutions should not increase the difficulty and carry out over-step teaching beyond the syllabus, and illegally employ unqualified teachers. Liu suggested that primary and secondary schools should adhere to zero-based teaching.

Facing the chaotic situation of off-campus tutoring, Liu called for comprehensive regulation of those tutoring institutions and cutting off the chain of interests behind them. She spoke up that the chain was linked to the interests of some schools and teachers.

The NPC deputy's voice has sparked much debate on this hot issue among netizens. However, Liu has received opposing messages for speaking out and touching on the issue's core.

"Over the years, many retired educators have been keeping in touch with me," said Liu. "They are still actively working for the development of the country's education, and their spirit has deeply moved me."

As an NPC deputy, Liu thinks she should perform her duties with a sense of mission, taking responsibility, speaking out, and building consensus.

"Double reduction" policy

Over the years, suggestions put forward by Liu covering various issues such as the governance of off-campus institutions, burden reduction, and quality improvement, protection of minors, evaluation reform, education balance, etc. They have received positive responses from relevant departments and are being gradually implemented.

On July 24, 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued a set of guidelines to ease the burden of excessive homework and off-campus tutoring for students undergoing compulsory education. This is known as "double reduction."

The document clearly proposes comprehensively reducing the total amount and length of homework and the burden of students' excessive homework to improve the school's after-class service level and meet the diverse needs of students.

The document also pointed out that it is necessary to regulate off-campus tutoring behaviors. They shall not take up national statutory holidays, rest days, and winter and summer vacations to organize curriculum-based academic training.

The quality of education and teaching should be improved to ensure that students learn well in school.

"The introduction of the guideline has further strengthened the governance of off-campus tutoring institutions, which responded to and solved the problem of the heavy burden of primary and secondary school students, and effectively promoted the educational ecology and quality education," Liu said.

(Shi Jiaqi, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)