China to tighten registration of off-campus training institutions

BEIJING - China has urged local authorities to strengthen regulations over the registration of off-campus training institutions.

Authorities shall stop approving the registration of new off-campus institutions that provide curriculum subject-tutoring services for students at the stage of compulsory education and those in high schools, said the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) in a circular.

New off-campus training institutions catering to preschoolers are also banned, said the MCA. It cited an official document jointly released by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council in July.

For those operating non-academic tutoring programs, a preliminary review shall be applied before their registration, said the circular.

The Ministry asked local civil affairs authorities to step up communication, coordination, and collaboration with departments in charge of preliminary reviews and competent authorities to conduct a mass screening of social organizations.

Organizations shall stop operating off-campus training programs if the programs didn't obtain the approval of concerning authorities, said the circular.

Local authorities also need to team up with education and market regulators and help existing off-campus training centers that operate academic tutoring services register as non-profit institutions.

Scrutiny over the statutes of training institutions should be strict to ensure their public welfare attributes, said the circular. Rigorous measures should apply to annual examinations, financial spot checks, credit regulations, and law enforcement supervision.