New Taipei City Consumer Protection Office Director Wang Chih-yu (王治宇) urged parents to check contract content and institutional operations before sending children to cram schools, enrichment classes or day care centers during summer vacation.
Closures and refund problems most commonly occur in cram schools, especially language cram schools, many of which have been facing difficulties due to the popularity of online learning apps and studying abroad, Wang said.
Cram schools that closed due to financial issues were often unable to refund tuition fees, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Education
Under Article 24 of the Rules for the Establishment and Management of Short-term Supplementary Learning Centers (短期補習班設立及管理準則), cram school operators may refuse to refund tuition fees if the student does not apply for a refund before completing one-third of the course or of the total program hours, he said.
Some cram schools offer plans with higher fees at the beginning, with lower prices later, or suggest buying a short-term course to get a long-term program for free, which are tactics to cut down on potential refunds or the amount refunded, Wang said.
Parents must carefully evaluate such offers and fully understand the refund rules, he said, adding that short-term programs and monthly tuition plans are preferable.
Although day care centers essentially provide childcare services and are less at risk of being replaced by online learning or digital learning tools than cram schools, their operations have become less stable amid falling birthrates, Wang said.
Although the demand for day care centers spikes during the summer, it can plunge once school starts, he said.
Many enrichment classes, such as mental arithmetic or dance courses, are provided at personal studios, small tutoring classrooms with less than five students, or non-fixed locations, and are therefore unregulated, he said.
Given that most enrichment classes are designed for younger children, parents should carefully review contract content and inspect the learning environment, he said.
Hsia Chih-chiang (夏治強), the head of the social education division of the New Taipei City Department of Education, said that consumer complaints with cram schools are handled in accordance with regulations.
For example, a cram school granted parents in the city’s Linkou District (林口) a refund even though their child attended for five months, given the family’s situation, Hsia said.
Another student received a reasonable refund from a cram school in Banciao District (板橋) after dropping the program due to a change in academic pursuits, he said.
The department would continue to enhance the review of cram school registrations and teacher qualifications, as well as to investigate contraventions and promote consumer rights, he said, urging operators to increase quality and transparency.
People who encounter consumer disputes can call the 1999 hotline or file a complaint with their local education departments, he said.
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