Recently, the government said that after school tutoring firms had to register as non profit entities. China's leader has been signalling for some time his disapproval of the role that profit seeking in private enterprise is playing. Some parents feel it's their only way to get even with wealthier families who can afford to have tutors come to their home privately. Nationally, there have been attempts to introduce a little bit more flexibility in how students are evaluated,. but that hasn't been terribly popular with parents.
President Nayib Bukele thinks obliging businesses to take the cryptocurrency will help with remittances, inclusion and foreign investment. So far, few are convinced. From after-school tutoring to endless extracurricular activities, education is an increasingly cut-throat affair; we examine the costs of these academic arms races. And Sally Rooney’s new novel and the question of what makes great contemporary fiction.
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