Company: ZHIHF
Filing Date: 2025-04-15
Form Type: 20-F
Source: 0001410578-25-000729
Chunk: 271

Company: Zhihu Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-04-15
Form: 20-F
Item: Item 4
Chunk 271
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 providing military, police, political and other kinds of education that are of a special nature. In addition, online education activities using internet technology are encouraged by the regulatory authorities and shall comply with laws and regulations related to internet management. A private school engaging in online education activities using internet technology shall obtain the relevant operating permit. It shall also establish and implement internet security management systems and take technical security measures. Upon discovery of any information whose release or transmission is prohibited by applicable laws or regulations, the private school shall immediately cease the transmission of that information and take further remedial actions, such as deleting that information, to prevent it from spreading. Records pertaining to the situation shall be kept and reported to the appropriate authorities.
On December 29, 2016, the State Council issued the Several Opinions of the State Council on Encouraging the Operation of Education by Social Forces and Promoting the Healthy Development of Private Education, which call for the ease of access to the operation of private schools and encourage social forces to enter into the education industry. The opinions also provide that each level of the government shall increase their support to the private schools in terms of financial investment, financial support, autonomy policies, preferential tax treatments, land policies, fee policies, autonomy operation, protection of the rights of teachers and students etc. Further, the opinions require each level of the government to improve local policies on government support to for-profit and non-profit private schools by such means as preferential tax treatments.
Regulations on Online Education
On September 19, 2019, the Ministry of Education, jointly with multiple PRC government authorities, issued the Guidance Opinions on Promoting the Healthy Development of Online Education, which provide, among others, that (i) social forces are encouraged to establish online education institutions, develop online education resources, and provide high quality educational services; and (ii) an online education negative list shall be promulgated, and industries not included in the negative list are open for all types of entities to enter. Moreover, the Ministry of Education, jointly with multiple PRC government authorities, promulgated the Opinions on Guiding and Regulating the Orderly and Healthy Development of Educational Mobile Apps on August 10, 2019, which require, among others, that mobile apps providing services for school teaching and management, student learning and student life, or home-school interactions, with school faculty, students, or parents as the main users, and with education or learning as the main application scenarios, be filed with competent provincial regulatory authorities for education.

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