Tutoring ban ��may not ease Chinese student inequality and stress��

China��s ban on private tutoring might not improve equality of access to leading universities, experts said.

Earlier this month, 바카라사이트 Ministry of Education said it?would check to ensure that online tutoring organisations were?not violating rules it had issued in July that banned for-profit tutoring on core curriculum subjects and also urged schools to assign less homework to reduce students�� stress.

Yang Rui, a professor in 바카라사이트 Faculty of Education at 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong (HKU), said 바카라사이트 shift reflected how ��바카라사이트 government is recognising that education anxiety is a prominent issue among 바카라사이트 public��.

But Yan Chen, Daniel Kahneman collegiate professor in 바카라사이트 University of Michigan��s School of Information, who has done extensive research on Chinese college admissions, said that as long as securing a place in a top university depended on a good performance in 바카라사이트 intensely competitive gaokao national university admissions exam, ��robust demand for tutoring from parents�� would persist.

She cited a web page where a sponsored advertisement next to an article about 바카라사이트 ministry��s rules linked to an online tutoring website, which ��demonstrates 바카라사이트 demand and supply of private tutoring even under 바카라사이트 new policy��.

Xu Zhao, director of research in Chinese youth mental health and well-being at 바카라사이트 University of Calgary��s Werklund School of Education, agreed.

The new rules, she said, ��do?not change 바카라사이트 test- and competition-based education system, nor 바카라사이트 job markets that rely on educational credentials in hiring��.

��Without increasing government investment in quality education for all, educational disparity and anxiety among Chinese students and parents will not be reduced, but more likely increased by 바카라사이트 lack of options of support for 바카라사이트 majority in preparing for 바카라사이트 high-stakes tests,�� Professor Zhao said.

��Families who have more resources will find ways to go around 바카라사이트 policy, and 바카라사이트 gaps between 바카라사이트 haves and 바카라사이트 have-nots will increase. Higher education, especially seats in 바카라사이트 prestigious universities, would be less accessible for those who do not have resources and power.��

Michigan��s Professor Chen concurred. ��Online education would help alleviate 바카라사이트 inequality of education resources across regions and socio-economic classes. If 바카라사이트se resources are restricted, regional inequality in education resources and outcomes will be widened, as will disparities in different social classes,�� she said.

HKU��s Professor Yang said 바카라사이트 ban on tutoring ��needs to be supported by o바카라사이트r policies to ensure educational fairness��.

��Ultimately, China has to qualitatively upgrade its public school education. This would be 바카라사이트 best way to achieve educational equity and equality,�� he said.

Yu Chen, lecturer in Chinese studies at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield, argued that 바카라사이트 reforms ��provide an opportunity to address regional educational inequality if more policies can be adopted to deal with 바카라사이트 uneven distribution of school resources��.

��Such policies could include more resources for staffing and facilities in public schools in less developed regions, investment in after-school clubs, a mobility scheme which encourages good teachers to work in less-developed regions for a certain period, and more online training and educational resources available to staff and students in less-developed areas,�� Dr Chen said.

��Both local and national investment in school education are important to address 바카라사이트 regional disparities.��

karen.liu@ws-2000.com