BEIJING -- China's Ministry of Education has issued a circular ordering relevant authorities to crack down on de facto academic tutoring and tighten their regulation of non-academic tutoring during the winter vacation.

Localities should disseminate policies concerning off-campus training among parents, it said, asking parents to avoid blindly enrolling their children in tutoring classes.

The circular also urged localities to organize sporting, cultural, or parent-child interaction activities to help children spend their winter vacation in meaningful ways.