British independent schools sprouting all over Southern China

According to a report from a popular education consultancy, the southern province of Guangdong has seen a surge in education investment as part of the government’s plans for developing the Greater Bay Area encompassing the cities around the Pearl River Delta as well as Hong Kong and Macau. China’s southern coastal provinces, especially Guangdong, are fertile grounds for British independent school brands. Of those that plan to open in the next two years, 47% are in Guangdong and 51% of the companies that are partnered with British independent schools are headquartered in the Greater Bay Area. This trend is expected to expand to other southern provinces such as Sichuan, Fujian and the island of Hainan. However, British independent schools are in a complicated position. They have to walk a tightrope when it comes to following government regulations and capitalizing on the surge in interest from Chinese companies that want to partner them. Local authorities have put a greater focus on ensuring Chinese students aged between 6 and 15 cover the basic national curriculum, while there has also been a growth in local customs and values ingrained into schools’ cultures and routines, such as morning flag raising. Apprehension over sending children overseas for their education has also created new demand in cases where the children of Chinese parents hold foreign passports as families are nervous about sending their children to study far away from home. They can’t send them to normal school or have not wanted to because of the very difficult situations in both the UK and the US. That is why there has been a demand for international schools located in China. While some smaller schools have struggled to switch to online, which resulted in parents refusing to pay fees, one of the biggest issues faced by schools remains staffing. For more details, go to https://thepienews.com/news/china-intl-schools/