Children read Chinese classics at Yuanshi County in Shijiazhuang City, north China's Hebei Province, Aug. 3, 2017. The Fenglong Academy organized a summer camp for children offering them a platform to learn traditional Chinese culture during this summer vacation. Photo: Xinhua 

China vows to strictly inspect and crack down on private training institutions which offer education on Chinese ethics, rituals and ancient literary instead of state-prescribed subjects. 
China's compulsory education curriculum cannot be replaced by private training institutes that teach traditional literary and philosophical classics, China News Service reported Monday, citing a recent circular released by the Ministry of Education(MOE). 
The MOE said that parents or other legal guardians shall be investigated and dealt with in accordance with the law if they fail to send the school-age children to schools to receive compulsory education. The ministry warns that such actions by parents may be deemed criminal.
The circular was released after a 9-year-old boy attending a boarding school in Siping, Northeast China's Jilin Province, died in December 2018. 
The boy's parents believe an herbal concoction given to their son as a dietary supplement by the school made their child sick and caused his death.
Local education bureau's investigation suggested that instead of immediately sending the sick boy to hospital, the school gave him scrapping therapy and traditional Chinese medicine.
A number of incidents at private schools have caused concern over their safety and qualifications in recent years. 
"Many private schools lack sound teaching systems, which plays an important role in helping children shape their values," Liu Qing, a Chinese language teacher at Wuhu No.1 High School in Anhui Province, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The MOE's announcement has sparked heated discussions on Sina Weibo, with many saying the crackdown is a wise move and long overdue.
"Education plays a key role in the fundamentals of a nation. The education industry is not a business, and it should not be marketized," one netizen says.