HIGH STAKES, HIGH COST

China's tuition ban drives industry underground where high demand and climate of fear lead to soaring prices

- Aw Cheng Wei

Finance executive Zoe Pan used to spend 300 yuan (S$55) for each hour of her only son's tuition classes, but she now shells out 150 yuan more, following a government ban on tutoring in 2021 that was meant to ease the cost of raising a child.

The ban outlawed after-school tuition on school subjects, but parents told The Sunday Times that it instead drove the private tutoring industry underground, as demand for the service has remained. Higher costs due to a shortage of teachers, concerns about the quality of classes, and fear of being discovered by the authorities have also resulted from the ban, they added.

Mrs Pan, 43, who lives in Beijing, said: "Before the ban, we could rely on group classes by big tutoring brands or have access to a wider selection of tutors.

"But we can now rely only on word-of-mouth communication - mainly from other parents - to find out about tutors, or sign up for tuition classes that have been repackaged to avoid the authorities' detection."

Parents also told ST that the demand for one-on-one tutoring, which exists in a legally grey area, has gone up, resulting in a further shortage of teachers.

"Many undergraduates or postgraduates in Beijing, at least, have come out to give one-on-one tuition, which is almost impossible for the authorities to detect," said Mrs Pan.

In July 2021, Beijing announced a surprise ban on private tuition in a move to ease parents' child-rearing concerns and to reduce students' workload.

The move upended the US$120 billion (S$150 billion) industry, which officials said was causing parents anxiety about making sure their child was not lagging behind their classmates.

Stellar educational qualifications are seen as a way for children to stand out in China's ultra-competitive job market, with the slowing economy raising further concerns among parents about the prospects of their child - often the only one they would have in their lifetime.