Education rules just got stricter

The Ministry of Education has listed seven issues such as home teachers and cloud-funding private schools that have to be banned, as the Chinese government stressed that it is not aiming to regulate specific sectors.

The ministry said attempts to evade the regulations include hiring private tutors in the guise of "housekeeping services," "cultural communication" or "live-in tutors," as well as conducting classes in the name of summer camps or study tours.

Offline institutions will also not be allowed to conduct online after-school tutoring via instant messaging, video conference or livestreaming platforms, 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.

"In some places, subject tutoring has moved underground or put on a different vest to evade the regulations," the ministry said in a statement announcing the new ban.

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 child-rearing in an effort to nudge up a lagging birthrate.

The media 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 a month.

In other news, China's regulator said there are 569 applications collecting users' personal information in violation of the law and it will take down 48 apps that refused to fix the problem.