Bǔ kè

Generally, Buke in high schools of mainland China are of two types:

• Extra mandatory classes. In most cases, high schools arrange such classes for students on weekends and holidays, which may follow the ordinary schedule; or in some areas, students will be asked to study in school for extended hours.[1] In a typical Chinese test-prep factory, Maotanchang High School, students will have their three-hour free time on Sunday afternoon every week ).[2]
• Cram school. The main feature of private tutoring is that it is optional, depending on factors such as personal willingness, study situations, and family economic conditions.[3] Yu (2012) suggests that private tutoring mainly consists of three forms “(a) one-to-one private tutoring, (b) small groups of students with one tutor, and (c) private tutoring in a large class setting.”[4]

Examination-oriented educational system and result-oriented educational ideology

A student’s score in Gaokao is the main standard for admission to university, and the competition has intensified over the years.[5] Being admitted to a top-class university is considered as the ultimate success for students, at least in teachers' and parents' views.[6] Students, parents, teachers, and schools all want to improve the students’ score in any possible ways, including extra classes either in school or in private institution.[7]

Unbalanced and insufficient distribution of educational resources.

High schools vary in different levels. Lower-level schools lack outstanding teachers, while private educational institutions provide opportunities for students in lower-level schools to get high-standard education.[8]

Almost every year, the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China issues official documents which emphasize the prohibition of any forms of Buke organized by state-run schools. In Opinions Concerning the Implementation of the Compulsory Education Law to further regulate which was issued after the emendation of the Compulsory Education Law in 2006, the Ministry of Education points out that it is banned for teachers in state-run schools to encourage either intramural or extramural Buke. Teacher participation in the extramural Buke in their part-time is also strongly opposed.[9]

Despite the prohibition of Buke by state-run schools, there is no national regulation for Buke organized by private schools or educational establishments. However, the regulations made by some local governments at different levels did affect them. In February 2015, Wenzhou City Board of Education issued Disposal Options of Wenzhou for Primary and Secondary School Teachers in Paid Buke, for teacher's attendance in paid Buke is officially considered unprofessional conduct. For the first time, this regulation related to teachers in private-run primary and secondary schools, hence it is called “the toughest regulation on Buke”.[10] According to a clerk working in an educational establishment, the teachers in Wenzhou no longer attend extramural Buke after the implementation of the disposal options.[11]

While some parents, students, and educators support buke for the opportunity to retain learning through holidays and to work out difficult problems for which there is no time during normal classes,[12][13] others oppose the practice as overly stressing academic performance and increasing stress on students.[14][15][16]

• Buxiban
• Cram school
• Hagwon
• Juku
• Ronin (student)

• The shadow education system: private tutoring and its implication for planners (2nd edition), Mark Bray Available online 23 Mar 2015
• Shadow Education: Comparative Perspectives on the Expansion and Implications of Private Supplementary Tutoring, Mark Bray Available online 23 Mar 2015