Parents adopting serious approach

Chinese parents are highly involved in their children's English studies and take them far more seriously compared with their counterparts in other parts of Asia or the West, according to market players.

Adele Bai, president of Kids & Teens at EF Education First China, said that a decade ago, most parents became involved only by deciding which extracurricular lessons or after-school tutoring sessions their children would attend.

But now parents, most of whom were born in the 1980s, have become involved in the entire process of their children learning English, she said.

"Chinese parents are very devoted and they help their kids to practice and work very hard. The newly launched EF course app is highly used after class. Some even talk to their children in English each day."

Young parents today are also more confident in their English proficiency, and this has led to their greater participation, Bai said.

Andrew Shewbart is executive vice-president and board member of ALO7, a K12 (kindergarten through 12th grade) English online curriculum and tutoring service provider.

He said that last month he went to the small cities of Danyang, Jiangsu province, and Huainan, Anhui province, to give talks on learning English to parents of kindergarten pupils. He said both rooms where he gave the talks were full, adding, "Parents in small places care about their children's English education as well (as those in larger cities)."

Shewbart, who is from the United States, said China is also "very different", as a family does not only comprise the mother and father but also grandparents.

They all focus on the child - the only child in a family in most cases although the previous family planning policy was terminated in 2016 - and care about his or her education, he said.

"Very often you see children being taken to school and after-school classes by grandparents. The whole family is involved in the child's education," he said.

Shewbart said he had witnessed a big shift in parents' attitude, especially in the past five years, from their children merely taking tests to ensure they go to good schools.

"While some still have that goal, they also want their children to really learn and use English, especially those who dream of their youngsters going abroad to study," he said.

(China Daily 01/24/2019 page2)