China is looking to nationalize private schools to push Elementary and middle schools to teach "Xi Jinping Thought to students but the trade-off could be the loss of quality education due to lack of state funding.
According to Nikkie Asia, elementary and middle schools have been required to teach "Xi Jinping Thought," the president's political ideology, since the September school term. The conversion of private schools into public schools suggests that the government seeks friendlier venues to consolidate loyalty and control."
But early this month, the education officials for the inland province of Shaanxi told reporters that they will encourage operators of private schools providing compulsory education to transfer their assets to local governments and convert to public schools, according to Nikkei Asia.
In that context, China wishes to nationalize private schools and regulate fees for after-school tutoring and test-prep companies to have tighter control in education and hope to have fairness in educational costs.
The rise of the private sector in education in China has caused costs to soar, with parents spending tens of thousands of dollars a year to get the best education for their child, according to Nikkei Asia.
Earlier, more than 16 million students attended private elementary and middle schools last year in China.
On the other hand, this clampdown on private schools traces back to directives sent in May this year by the Communist Party and China's State Council.
Some private schools serve migrant workers who cannot enroll their children into area public schools because the families are not entered into home registries. These private schools will continue to operate, but local governments will manage budgets.
There are private schools in China jointly operated by public schools and enterprises. For example, a real estate group might help fund a branch institution of a well-known public school.
The elite public school gets access to funds while the real estate company can use the brand to build and sell condominiums around the new private school. However, the central government has told local authorities to convert the majority of these schools into fully public schools by mid-2023.
Private institutions that will not become public will be notified by the government of standard tuitions. The schools will not be allowed to collect donations, nor can they select students through tests or interviews. Gaining admission in an outside school district will be strictly regulated as well.
This campaign against private schools is a continuation of the "common prosperity" initiative launched by President Xi Jinping's administration this summer, according to Nikkei Asia.
Further, Elementary and middle schools have been required to teach "Xi Jinping Thought," the president's political ideology, since the September school term .
( With inputs from ANI )
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