(ECNS) -- Online courses have become popular among students in China, posing new management challenges to public schools that could face a brain drain as online programs offer teachers more lucrative returns, Science and Technology Daily reports.
An education official said some school teachers "prefer to be a popular online instructor rather than sticking to their podium," a trend that could erode the foundation of keeping a stable number of grassroots employees.
A Changchun-based mother surnamed Liu, who signed up for an online English course for her child in junior middle school, said "public school teachers are not allowed to teach in their spare time for a fee, but we want our child to learn more, so we have opted for an online course based on face-to-face video instructions."
"Whenever you have a question, you can ask, which is very convenient," she said.
Many parents say online courses allow for more flexible learning compared to traditional instruction. Some online training programs even go a little further by promising to make custom-made learning plans for individuals and help them raise scores at a faster pace.
A Shanghai mother surnamed Qiu said she pays 140 yuan ($21) per instruction session for her child's online maths course. To her, it is cost-effective because it is less expensive than an off-line equivalent yet the instructors are all noted teachers and the videos can be viewed again and again.
A Shenyang parent said the best part of an online program is that it provides rich resources. He bought an online English video course for his child on the shopping site Taobao for a teacher based in the US who offers quality instructions at less than 100 yuan a session.
Many online programs claim their teachers have graduated from prestigious schools such as Tsinghua and Peking universities. The paper reported that many public school teachers also work in the programs because policies on whether they are allowed to teach part-time to make extra money are divided and sometimes vague in different areas of the country.
But some students and parents say part-time teaching jobs could compromise teacher performance in traditional schools and should not be encouraged.
Shao Zhiqing, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology, said online teaching can expand the content and resources for learning and is a good supplement to school curriculums. Such programs will benefit students if managed in a proper way, he noted.
