China plans to put children off studying abroad as more pupils head overseas at younger ages

The Ministry of Education said it would build ‘a mechanism to discourage minors from studying abroad’ without elaborating on the plan

More than 700,000 Chinese residents moved abroad for study in 2019, a rise of more than 6 per cent from the previous year

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Parents are increasingly sending their children abroad for education to avoid the fierce competition for school places. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 7:15am, 17 Feb 2021Updated: 9:36am, 17 Feb 2021

Chinese parents are sending their children away to study at increasingly younger ages. It’s a trend the government plans to stamp out.

More than 700,000 Chinese residents moved abroad for study in 2019, a rise of more than 6 per cent from the previous year, according to the latest data from the country’s Ministry of Education. In 2020, despite the global pandemic, there was still an increase in the number of secondary-school students who took courses and exams in preparation of studying abroad.

In a report issued last month by Koolearn, an online education platform used by China’s largest private educational service provider, New Oriental, about 20 per cent of all those who took part in exams for overseas study last year were students at or below grade 12 level, the final year of senior secondary school from which they can go on to higher education.

In China, students must complete nine years of compulsory education, then sit an entrance exam to win a place at a senior secondary school. Photo: Getty Images

The Ministry of Education told a national education conference in January that it would build “a mechanism to discourage minors from studying abroad”. However, the ministry did not elaborate on what this would entail. The transcript of the conference was released earlier this month.

It’s not the first time the ministry has expressed concern about the trend of Chinese students moving abroad. In 2016, spokeswoman Xu Mei told a press conference that the ministry didn’t encourage the sending of minors abroad, believing the children were too young to live and study on their own.

Twelve-year-old Mingming is one of the growing number of young students below the age for university-level studies whose parents are planning to send them away.