Deputy seeks stricter monitoring of college application guidance services

A National People's Congress deputy from Hebei province has called for joint efforts from multiple government departments, including education and market administrators, to regulate intermediaries providing college application guidance services to protect high school graduates from misleading and deceptive information.

Qi Xiumin, an NPC deputy and director of Hebei Qixin Law Firm, who is currently attending the third session of the 14th NPC in Beijing, made the suggestion based on her observations of the college application experiences of the children of people around her.

College application in China is the process where high school graduates, after taking the National College Entrance Examination, or gaokao, select and apply for their preferred universities and majors based on their gaokao scores and interests.

Qi noted that college application is a matter of great concern for both students and parents. However, she pointed out that many agencies or individuals offering the guidance services often exploit the anxiety of admission or future career development to attract clients and sometimes even disseminate false information.

Inspired by these observations, she conducted her own investigation, examining the services offered by various agencies and individuals across China.

Qi found that the pricing of these services varies significantly, ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 yuan ($276 to $414) to over 10,000 yuan.

"It is highly questionable whether these agencies and consultants, as service providers, have received professional training," she said.

Therefore, she proposed that: "On one hand, local education authorities should provide more free and authoritative guidance, such as organizing public welfare lectures for high school students and their parents, to bridge the information gap with reliable information."

"On the other hand, education and market regulation departments should strengthen supervision of these services, and the public security department should also intervene if there are cases of deceiving students and parents," the NPC deputy suggested.

Furthermore, she advised students and parents to be more vigilant and to rationally respond to anxiety-inducing and deceptive tactics.