Pupils attend the "school opening ceremony" in Shanxi Province, Sept. 1, 2017. (Photo/Chinanews.com)
(ECNS) -- Old-style private schools and training courses cannot meet state requirements for compulsory education, Lyu Yugang, director of basic education at the Ministry of Education, said at a press conference.
Some parents have opted to send their children to study in private institutes instead of going to standard schools, which can be very harmful to a child's future studies because of the differences in curriculum and content, it was added.
Lyu was responding to the rising study-at-home trend of recent years, where parents have children take intensive courses in Chinese classics and culture tutored by individuals.
He said Chinese law makes it clear that school-aged children must receive and complete compulsory education. Parents have the legally binding responsibility to ensure their children go to school.
He added that new textbooks have improved the content of traditional Chinese culture studies, and students are taught the desired knowledge in standard schools.
Lyu also said parents or custodians will be persuaded to send their children back to schools, according to a regulation issued by the State Council, China's cabinet, in July.
Parents or custodians may face legal liabilities if they prevent children from education in formal schools, it was stated.
