This is the only guide on our site that begins by explaining what we will not do. Mainland China regulates off-campus subject teaching in a way that speaks directly to a provider like Smartious, and we would rather set that out plainly than let a family discover it after paying us. Hong Kong and Macau are a different matter entirely, and we come to them at the end.
Three education systems, not one
The first thing to establish is that this article covers three distinct systems. Mainland China has its own framework. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has its own education system, curriculum and regulator. So does the Macau Special Administrative Region. Which applies to a family is determined by where they legally reside, not by where they work or which boundary they cross. Most of what follows concerns the mainland.
What the policy says
The policy formally titled Opinions on Further Reducing the Homework Burden and Off-Campus Training Burden of Students in Compulsory Education was issued on 24 July 2021 by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and took effect on release. It bans all forms of for-profit tutoring in academic subjects for students receiving compulsory education. Subject-based training is defined to cover the subjects taught in compulsory education schools — Chinese literature, history, geography, mathematics, foreign languages including English, physics, chemistry, biology, and morals and law. Compulsory education comprises six years of primary education, typically from about age six, followed by three years of junior secondary, and reporting indicates the Opinions are also likely to apply through upper middle school.
The provisions that speak directly to us
Three of them, and we would be dishonest to bury any. First, the policy places a strict ban on foreign teachers physically based outside of China teaching students in China — that is a description of Smartious. Second, institutions may not use foreign curricula, and non-subject-based institutions are prohibited from providing overseas education courses; Cambridge, Edexcel, the IB and AP are foreign curricula. Third, we are a for-profit provider, and existing subject-based institutions were required to convert to non-profit status with foreign capital prohibited from participating in them. Alongside those sit a filing and review system for training materials and overseas education materials, a prohibition on subject training during national holidays, weekends and school breaks, and a ban on advertising for training institutions on mainstream media platforms.
What we therefore do
We do not enrol compulsory-education-age students resident in mainland China for subject teaching, regardless of what a family is willing to pay or how an enquiry is framed. We hold no mainland licence, are not a registered mainland school, and do not teach toward the gaokao. We will not suggest that the policy can be worked around, that enforcement varies by province, or that other providers do it anyway. A family acting on that kind of hint carries the consequence and we do not, which is precisely why we will not offer it. If you believe your particular circumstances fall outside the policy, take your own advice before contacting us rather than after — we have not assessed anyone’s individual position and cannot.
A note on mainland international schools
Mainland international schools operate under their own enrolment rules, which vary and which a family must confirm with the school and the relevant authority directly. That is a separate question from ours and we would not attempt to answer it. What we can say is that being enrolled at an international school does not by itself resolve the question of whether an overseas for-profit provider may teach a child subject content — those are different regulatory questions with different answers, and conflating them would not help anyone.
Hong Kong and Macau, where we operate normally
Both Special Administrative Regions have their own education systems and regulators, and we serve families resident there in the ordinary way. Hong Kong is in fact one of the markets where we are most useful, for a reason that has nothing to do with curriculum: it has outstanding schools and among the most competitive admissions anywhere, and waiting lists — particularly for families arriving mid-year — are the defining constraint. A child starts with us within a week of an assessment, and a great many Hong Kong families use us as a complete interim programme while a place comes free. Macau’s international sector is small relative to its internationally recruited workforce, with Hong Kong an hour away by ferry and full.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a child in mainland China study with Smartious?+
If they are of compulsory-education age and resident in mainland China, no. The Double Reduction policy bans for-profit academic tutoring for compulsory-education students and places a strict ban on foreign teachers physically based outside China teaching students in China. We are for-profit, our teachers are outside China, and we teach a foreign curriculum.
Why publish this rather than simply market?+
Because a family who enrols on a claim that turns out to be wrong bears the consequence, not us. Any provider telling mainland families something more comfortable should be asked which part of the policy they are relying on.
Is Hong Kong different?+
Yes. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region with its own education system, curriculum and regulator, and we serve families resident there in the ordinary way. The same applies to Macau.
We live in Shenzhen and work in Hong Kong — which applies?+
Your place of legal residence rather than where you work. That is a question for your own advisers before you enquire.
