Last year, the Chinese government moved to limit the amount of out-of-school extra English lessons children could have, because is was causing them so much stress:
A Is for Anxiety: Tutoring Clampdown Tests China’s Parents
However, it's been pointed out that the Chinese government is not concerned about the wellbeing of pupils, but the dangers of foreign influence:
Foreign language teaching firms had long tapped into a vast demand for English in China, where armies of parents are eager to get their kids ahead in a cut-throat education system in which a single exam can determine a life's trajectory.That came to a crashing halt in August when Beijing announced education reforms that banned tutoring firms from hiring overseas teachers. The rules -- which also forced tutoring platforms to turn their businesses non-profit and barred some classes during weekends and holidays -- are framed by Beijing as necessary to alleviate stress on overworked students and reduce education costs.
Critics say they are also cutting off Chinese children from outside influences, as an increasingly nationalistic Beijing moves to reassert socialist ideology in the country's classrooms.
China's tutoring ban hits overseas teachers and cultural links - France 24
Chinese companies are doing better - as are 'Chinese values':
“A few years ago, English was supposed to be one of the most important subjects to learn, but today we are focused more on Chinese values,” she said, referring to a recent trend away from English-language learning in China.China’s radically transformed tutoring market, one year after crackdown – The China Project
It's also about "trying to rein in the competitive excesses of market capitalism":
Dan Wang, a technology analyst, explained that Beijing has become disillusioned with the U.S. economic model, which it views as being driven by Wall Street on one coast and Silicon Valley on the other. He sees the Chinese leadership as “trying to discard capitalism with American characteristics . . .The Larger Meaning of China’s Crackdown on School Tutoring | The New Yorker
Ultimately, it's about control:
The measures are also part of growing xenophobia in China. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spends a lot of time worrying about ideological education. Measures restricting the study of U.S. and world history, for example, were put in place years ago. As the CCP sees it, banning foreign curricula and foreign teachers could prevent the creeping influence of foreign ideas and discourage Chinese students from applying to overseas universities.Why China Is Cracking Down on Private Tutoring
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