‘The future is uncertain’: Chinese families opting for home-schooling question public education

Fourteen-year-old Estella studies Spanish and acupuncture from her living room after withdrawing from Shanghai’s public school system. She is among a small but growing number of Chinese students whose families are quietly experimenting with home-schooling, despite its legal grey area. Parents believe flexible learning nurtures creativity and better prepares them in an era where AI is reshaping education and jobs.