(Yicai Global) July 24 -- Two years since the introduction of the “double reduction” policy in education, the Chinese government today launched an out-of-school education and training supervision platform, which has included more than 100,000 qualified institutions in the first group

The platform has introduced a mobile app for parents, according to an notice posted on the education ministry’s website. The app offers nationwide service for off-campus training and course enrollment, with secure payment, convenient refunds, and easy access to complaints and reports.

The app is available on app stores and Alipay, Alibaba’s mobile payment platform, Yicai Global found. It offers subject training for high school students and interest courses for junior high and primary school students such as painting, music, and programming.

To ease the academic pressure on students in the compulsory education system, China launched the “double reduction” policy in July 2021. The policy strictly regulated the out-of-school tutoring industry and banned subject-based tuition during public holidays, weekends, and int the winter and summer vacations.

The ministry reported at a work meeting on July 21 that the “double reduction” policy has achieved initial results. China’s off-campus training industry has slowed down considerably in the past two years, while on-campus services have been enhanced. This has helped to ease the overall pressure on students and parents.

The ministry will use the official platform as a chance to further strengthen the oversight of off-campus training and ensure that it serves as a beneficial complement to school education, it said today.

Editor: Peter Thomas