Chinese Attitudes toward Extra Co-Curriculum or Tuition Classes

I have written two articles about issues of traditional Chinese classes after regular school hours in my blog. In order to better understand Chinese attitudes toward this topic, I have conducted an online survey (https://www.wjx.cn/jq/50218735.aspx) and collected 43 responses thus far. 97 percent of the respondents are less than 24 years old. About 70 percent of respondents said that they did not know well about the classes for learning traditional Chinese culture after regular school hours.

The heat of traditional Chinese culture class after regular school hours is in a chaotic condition because there is no sound legal in this area in China. In this case, not only the Chinese government needs to set some rules or policies, people also should have a correct attitude toward attending these classes after regular school hours.

The online survey found that 74 percent of respondents have attended traditional Chinese culture class after regular school hours. These include Chinese musical instruments, tai chi, calligraphy and etc. In addition, more than 90 percent of respondents said they would encourage their children to learn traditional Chinese culture after regular school hours.

As mentioned earlier, 70 percent of the respondents admitted that they do not know well about classes for learning traditional Chinese culture. Therefore, it is only natural that this survey found that most of the respondents (79%) think that they would do some research before enrolling into any extra co-curriculum or tuition classes. They will first find out more about the qualification and experience of the teachers, ask around for recommendations and compare several schools or centres. Moreover, about 70 percent of respondents will ask for a trial class before enrolling themselves.

However, there is about 50 percent of respondents who will follow their parents' advice completely when they go to any extra co-curriculum or tuition classes. In addition, from the results, there is more than 70 percent of respondents who have been forced to take remedial classes in Chinese culture. Most respondents have done the research before they go to extra co-curriculum or tuition classes, half of them still encounter the problems of meeting under qualified teachers or tutors.  

The reason why it happened is the lack of rules and policies. With the excessive demand for tuition classes, some irresponsible training providers may take this as a money-making opportunity without offering their best services. Consumers find it difficult to verify the qualifications of tutors or teachers due to insufficient information. In addition, the silver-tongued salespeople tend to persuade and mislead the consumers into buy their products or service – the low-quality classes. 

From the research, about 41 percent of the respondents said that if they encounter unqualified teachers, they will give feedback to parents. Furthermore, only 40 percent of the respondents will report to the relevant authorities if they encounter any unqualified or dishonest schools or centers. There are still a large number of respondents who do not have the awareness to report such misconduct to authorities. Without the report from the public, it is hard for public officials to tackle this problem and take actions to prevent or solve it.

Although learning traditional Chinese culture is beneficial for learners’ future growth, Chinese need to be rational about it and find the most suitable one for themselves.