BEIJING — China's Ministry of Education (MOE) on Feb 11 called for extracurricular training organizations to suspend offline training to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.

"The organizations are not allowed to start classes early without authorization," the ministry said.

It also ordered training institutions to regulate online classes and vowed to investigate and punish violations including exam-oriented training and false publicity.

The MOE in late January has announced the postponement of the 2020 spring semester for schools. Online courses are provided by some schools for students to study at home.