|A white board stands inside an empty office of a private educational services provider in Beijing, China on Aug 23, 2021. (Photo by=Reuters/Tingshu Wang)| [Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] SHANGHAI: China on Wednesday (Sep 8) banned private tutors from giving classes online or in unregistered venues such as residential buildings, hotels, and coffee shops, ramping up its effort to stamp out all for-profit tutoring, according to Reuters. Authorities this year banned for-profit tutoring in subjects on the school curriculum in an effort to ease pressure on children and parents. A competitive higher education system has made tutoring services popular with parents but the government has sought to reduce the cost of raising children in an effort to nudge up a lagging birth rate.Media has reported this week on various ways parents and tutors have been trying to circumvent the rules, including how some agencies were advertising live-in tutors who could command salaries of up to 30,000 yuan (US$4,650) a month. The ministry said off-campus centers that offer tutoring in subjects on the school curriculum need to be licensed, operate out of registered venues and hire qualified teachers. Offline institutions will also not be allowed to conduct online after-school tutoring via instant messaging, video conference, or live streaming platforms, the ministry said. Meanwhile, the crackdown on tutoring has roiled the shares of tutoring companies traded in Hong Kong and New York, including New Oriental Education & Technology Group and Gaotu Techedu Inc.
