{"id":8243,"date":"2021-07-23T07:00:56","date_gmt":"2021-07-23T07:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=8243"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:51:11","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T09:51:11","slug":"what-do-changes-to-chinas-private-education-law-mean-for-british-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/what-do-changes-to-chinas-private-education-law-mean-for-british-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"What do changes to China’s private education law mean for British schools?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recent modifications to the laws governing the promotion of private education in China have been seen as a cause for concern by some in the industry, but the international education market in China remains strong <\/span><\/h2>\n

On 14 May 2021, China issued a revision to the Regulations on the Implementation of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Promotion of Privately-run Schools. The modifications come into effect on 1 September 2021. While seeking to improve and regulate the growth of the private education sector in China, the modifications also stipulate that private educational institutions must strictly support the public welfare nature of education.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is the current landscape of international private education in China?<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

International schools in China can be roughly divided into three types: 1) pure international schools that only accept foreign passport holders (some of which have been renamed in their license as \u2018expat family children schools\u2019); 2) private bilingual schools operating an international programme; and 3) public schools that operate an international division.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to The Development Report of International Schools in China, as of 2020, there were 535 private bilingual schools in China, a number that has demonstrated steady growth for the past 5 years. Conversely, the number of private expat-only schools declined to 113 from a peak of 126 in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

British-style education retains a strong reputation in China. The number of British-style schools has been growing significantly in recent years, with over 60 campuses in China. In 2020 alone, cities like Haikou, Dongguan, Xiamen, Changsha, Shijiazhuang, and Changchun celebrated the launch of their first British-style schools. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Any strategy for an education group looking at Asia is incomplete unless we have presence in China \u2014 Gwen Byrom, Director of Education Strategy, NLCS International<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What does the new Private Education Promotion Law say?<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

The revisions to the law mainly target private schools carrying out compulsory education (the nine years starting from age six) for Chinese nationals. In principle, schools that only admit the children of foreign nationals are not affected by these revisions.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the key strategies behind the revisions is preventing public schools from turning into private schools, as seen in Articles 7 and 8 (read the full text of the law in Chinese here<\/span><\/a>), as well as making access to schools more equitable by prohibiting entrance exams and cross-district enrolment.<\/span><\/p>\n

The law also touches on school leadership. Article 25 states that members of decision-making bodies such as the board of directors should be Chinese nationals. However, this does not mean that schools cannot have foreign principals or management staff, for example.<\/span><\/p>\n