The English Lesson, Suspended or Cancelled?
More than 100,000 teachers across America were fired or left their jobs this summer. Many are awake at night wondering if they can even say goodbye to their students. They had worked in an invisible industry teaching students in China, until July 20, 2021, when the Chinese government announced new regulations, intended to spur population growth and social equality, but that also made their jobs untenable. These teachers were employed by Chinese companies as independent contractors to deliver online English classes. Many of the companies are owned by larger Chinese firms with values in the billions like Tencent, New Oriental Education, TAL Education Group and ByteDance. This is a story of loss: - lost jobs, lost education, lost cross-cultural personal relations. However, the government action might in the long run create a better regulated industry that services the full population. So goes the latest chapter in the English language’s long and complicated history in China.
My first time visiting China was June of 1990. I was followed on my bicycle by college students wanting to practice English. Some pleaded for me to teach them slang. In the one major bookstore, I saw shoppers eager to read as much as they could before being asked to leave - this was before the internet. In the villages I biked through, I met farmers who had learned English through Voice of America, crowding into a neighbor’s home to listen on a ham radio; they too wanted to practice English. I have been fortunate to return to China many times as a researcher, lecturer, and World Bank education specialist. Most recently I produced a film looking at philosopher John Dewey’s work in China through the eyes of high school students. Over these thirty years, I have always realized the interest in English: the love of American movies, the opening of after school learning centers, online videos going viral, friendships over wechat. I saw English enter schools and debates about how much English was too much or too little. This past year I developed a documentary following the lives of those involved in the online English industry.
Tim, an EFL teacher whose life has been drastically changed by the new regulations
Many teachers are risking finding their way to their students, cutting out the middle company and allowing families to pay less than before and work directly with teachers without the education platforms. Radio Free Asia reported a run on state owned Xinhua Books of parents claiming English books had been removed. The Shanghai municipality on August 20th banned schools and parents from buying textbooks that were not officially approved. Shanghai also announced that primary students would no longer be required to take English exams. There are some news stories suggesting the government is cracking down on private tutoring already and others suggest this is not illegal as individuals are not regulated like the for profit companies. According to one blogger, new regulations will not stop the demand for English any more than one could try to regulate the demand for ice cream in summer months.
Policies around English language learning have had periods of interest and avoidance. When the People’s Republic of China was founded by the Communist Party of China in 1949, the role of English in Chinese education and society was greatly reduced. Russian became the new language of interest. Later, during The Cultural Revolution, English was removed from almost all aspects of public life. Beginning in the late 1970s, English became a component of a rapidly modernizing Chinese society. The early 1980s saw the establishment of English as the main foreign language in secondary education and a welcoming of language teachers from other countries. The success of two private English language education companies represented the English “craze” in late-20th-century China: Crazy English, a somewhat dubious system of English learning created by entrepreneur-cum-motivational speaker Li Yang in 1994, and the New Oriental School, a chain of English training centers founded by Yu Minhong in 1993. The most recent interest in English education can be traced to 2001 when China joined the World Trade Organization, and also the year China won its bid for the 2008 Olympics. In 2001, the Chinese Ministry of Education lowered the grade level for beginning English instruction from Grade 5 to Grade 3 and instructed key universities to use English as the main teaching language in certain fields like information technology, finance, foreign trade, economics, and law. Some international companies like Disney entered the English market and then left.
a gathering of VIPKid teachers in 2018
This will be a generation of children with broken relationships to teachers and others who have less access to English in local centers. There will be fewer foreign teachers and the numbers of students expected to study overseas will likely decline. There will likely be a growing demand from the elite for junior boarding schools overseas as the opening of new international private schools at the primary and middle school level has also been suspended. The good news is public schools in China are scrambling to offer after school programs for all students and there is a chance of greater access to enrichment at no cost. There are more resources emerging on web sites operated by the government. And yet still, there has been a rush on bookstores that have sold out on self study materials and the demand of these materials will likely support growth in the publishing industry. There are new regulations limiting foreign textbooks and regulations issued August 24th require the use of a book of President Xi Jinping’s thoughts “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”. According to the Ministry, the book should help “to cultivate the builders and successors or socialism with an all-round moral, intellectual, physical and aesthetic grounding” through 14 key principles with different versions with points of emphasis given for primary, middle and secondary schools. At the time of deemphasizing the importance of English, there is a renewed interest in Chinese culture.
Let’s hope that children will be able to enjoy more free time, get better sleep and have access to quality after school programs. Maybe families will feel a financial relief from not spending as much as they did on education providers and this will encourage more families to consider having more than one child. Maybe the companies that have made billions will become more civic centered and be more generous with profits helping deserving local causes. Maybe the investment in online English teaching will spur more cross-cultural relationships and sharing cross continents. Maybe the research done on language learning and the investment in AI will lead to new lower cost applications that help learning. Time will tell how this chapter plays out, and what might happen next in China’s complicated relationship with the English language.
Charles Abelmann, is an educational leader with experience in policy, practice in research in the US and China. He managed World Bank projects in China and most recently was the director of the Laboratory Schools at the University of Chicago. The article is informed by his research for a film project called English Hustle (englshhustle.org).
1990 trip to China
The initial response to 7/20 was one of shock for most online teachers. On one facebook chat Teacher Stephanie commented, “Like so many of you this was my sole income …I am anxious and sad for the financial insecurity my family now faces.” Teacher Tiffany wrote, “I just need a safe place to vent. I’m so broken hearted over everything. ... I’m just sitting here boo-hooing because I’m completely overwhelmed and stressed out.” Teacher Amanda wished teachers luck and commented “it seriously sucks how they did this to us.” It's unclear whether the “they” in her comment is the company or the Chinese government. What is clear is that the companies are adapting quickly to survive. Before, these companies built bridges between the US and China, creating meaningful relationships between teachers and students, despite high tension at the geo-political level. Now those bridges are collapsing, and taking the goodwill toward China with them.
These teachers are far from experts in US China relations: picture working class rural Americans discovering China’s rising middle class through children’s webcams. As Brenda posted in one group, “We were welcomed into the homes of amazing people. We learned from each other. We have a unique perspective on the academic lives of children in China and they, the kind and interesting teachers from the US. Their parents are enlightened, and so are we. I am so thankful for the experience of working with the children of China. Whatever happens, my life is richer and I hope my students will take memories of me with them in their endeavors.”
inside of a virtual EFL classroom
Fast forward to 2021, when the best known company, wrote its teachers: “VIPKid will be unable to sell products offering lessons with foreign teachers outside of China to students in China.” The letter goes on to say “how incredibly disappointed we are to have to share this news, as until today, we had been hopeful there would be minimal impact to teachers. We recognize that many of you may be feeling upset, confused and frustrated about these changes and wondering what does the future look like for VIPKid and teachers on the VIPKid platform? We understand that this change will not only impact the special connection you’ve formed with your students, but also the livelihood of you and your loved ones at home…Your connection with students mean the world to VIPKid and we will create a solution and plan for teachers to be able to properly say goodbye to their parents and students in China when the time comes.”
The time appears to be now. VIPKid in later communication cancelled all holiday and weekend classes consistent with the new policy and seems to only honor existing family contracts within permissible times. Teacher Kim stated, “I was planning on (seeing) a little girl who I’ve laughed with, celebrated birthdays with, booked with me on Friday…poof gone, no formal goodbyes…nothing! I’m truly disappointed with VIPKid to do this at the last minute!” At the same time as cancelling so many classes, the company has pivoted and started advertising classes for adults and non academic content for students from Chinese teachers for young students that does not go against the policy. VIPKid was on path to going public and that path is now not an option with the new regulations.
