BECE. Newsletter 

Vol.13, No.2, 2023 1721 

 

 

 

 

After-School Service in Chinese Primary Schools in 

the Context of the Implementation of the Double Re-

duction Policy: The Current State, Problems, and 

Countermeasures 

By Shi, D. S., Li, L., Zhao, S. N., & Chu, L. 
Correspondence to: Lin Chu, Beijing Union University, China. E-mail: editorial-

office@bonoi.org  

N February 2017, the Ministry of Education of China issued the Guiding 

Opinions on Optimizing After-school Service for Primary and Secondary 

School Students. The State Council released the Opinions on Further Reduc-

ing the Burden of Homework and Off-Campus Training for Compulsory Ed-

ucation Students (also referred to as the Double Reduction Policy) in July 

2021. The release of the Policy sparked wide concern over after-school ser-

vice for schoolchildren. It is believed that after-school service has the poten-

tial to increase educational capacities of the school, reduce parents’ burden, 

and promote all-round development of students. Nevertheless, a number of 

issues need to be addressed in current after-school service in Chinese schools. 

This study conducted an in-depth investigation into the implementa-

tion of after-school service in primary schools of H City in the wake of the 

release of the Double Reduction Policy. H City is a border city in Yunnan 

Province, comprised of nine counties and one city district. From November 

2021 to January 2022, the research team visited seven primary schools in the 

city, including four urban and three rural schools, and held five thematic 

seminars and gathered data on after-school service in these schools. In the 

meantime, it also carried out a larger-scale questionnaire survey in 16 urban 

and 410 rural primary schools selected by stratified sampling and distributed 

3,969 teacher and 44,656 parent questionnaires. Furthermore, the research 

team interviewed 5 primary school principals, over 50 primary school teach-

ers, more than 50 parents, and over 20 pupils. 

Analysis results of the data from the questionnaires and interviews 

show that after-school service is available to all students from all primary 

schools in the city and teachers are fully aware of relevant policies; that cur-

rent after-school service is rich in educational contents, well satisfying 

heterogenous needs of students in different grades; that after-school service 

in the majority of the schools is well-organized and has engaged the attention 

of multiple out-of-school agents; and that positive effects of after-school ser-

vice mark the successful execution of the Double Reduction Policy. At the 

I 

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Vol.13, No.2, 2023 1722 

same time, problems with current after-school service for pupils should also 

be noted: (1) considerable gaps in the understanding of after-school service 

between teachers and parents; (2) disparities in the quality of after-school 

service among different schools and low participation of pupils; (3) the lack 

of sustainable support; (4) an appropriate evaluation mechanism to be devel-

oped to clarify the division of responsibility. 

 

 

Source: China Educational Technology, 2022; 2022(11):17-31.