On June 15, China's Ministry of Education announced a new department to regulate after-school education and training programs for pre-school kids and elementary- and middle-school students. 

According to the ministry's website, the special department will set up standards for online and offline schools regarding the content, hours, teacher qualifications and fees, etc., and will work with relevant authorities to enforce guildlines. Guiding academic contests and other off-campus activities for primary and secondary school students and timely reporting and dealing with major problems in the after-school private education sector are also their responsibility.

China's regulation and supervision of extracurricular tutoring schools has been under the spotlight since early this year. On June 1, the State Administration for Market Regulation fined fifteen private tutoring companies for a total of 36.5 million yuan for faking advertising, pricing fraud, and other illegal acts. On May 21, at the meeting of the Central Committee for Deepening Overall Reform, the central leadership urged effort to reduce students' burden and regulate off-campus private tutoring schools for primary and secondary school students.