The global expansion of shadow education: subverting or enhancing equity, quality and development?

Abstract

The term ‘shadow education’has gained widespread use to describe private supplementary tutoring in academic subjects outside school time.The metaphor is used because the core of such tutoring mimics the mainstreamschool system. When the curriculum in the mainstreamchanges, it also changes in the shadow. And when the mainstreamexpands, so does the shadow. In some parts of the world，shadow education has been prominent for some decades. In other settings it has only recently become strongly visible. It appears that shadow education is expanding worldwide, including in China. It brings a range of challenges to policy makers, teachers, families and students. Some dimensions of shadoweducation may be beneficial, but others are problematic.