(Yicai Global) July 13 -- All Chinese public schools will organize extracurricular activities from September amid the country's tightening grip on private education providers.

After-school programs should last at least two hours per day while the timing is based on local office hours, Lv Yugang, department director at the Ministry of Education, said at a press conference yesterday.

The new policy widens the scope of extracurriculars. Some 102,000 public schools already offered after-school activities as of May, or more than three-quarters of such institutions in urban areas.

Unbalanced System

But there's still room for improvement. The current system is regionally unbalanced, said Lv. The service time is too short in some areas while some schools don't have enough funds or the programs are unattractive, he added.

China has been trying to reduce the educational burden on children whose schedules tend to get filled with after-school tutoring. On June 15, the ministry set up a new department to regulate off-campus education and training institutions.

Schools need to reduce students' burdens in compulsory education so classes generally finish around 3.30 p.m., said Lv. But parents may not be free from work by then so they often send their kids to training schools, the official added.

Teachers' Holidays

The move has sparked online rumors of canceling teachers' summer and winter vacations. Teachers' and students' participation in after-school programs is voluntary, according to the ministry.

Schools should arrange enough time for their employees to rest, do research, and complete new training during summer, it added.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi