BEIJING — China will take further steps to regulate and guide the development of after-school education, Ministry of Education (MOE) official Xu Pan said on Dec 4.

Xu said the MOE will cooperate with other authorities to carry out regular inspections of off-campus training institutions, noting that preferred and non-preferred lists will be published and regularly updated.

Schools have been encouraged to provide improved education, after-school programs and customized services.

Off-campus training institutions have been warned against blindly pursuing profit and shifting risks to parents.

China has been tightening its regulations for after-school education for the past two years, during which time a long-term supervision mechanism was established and training institutions were asked to improve their services to meet standards.