Tutoring centers want multiple subsidies

Tutoring centers are asking the local government to provide them with multiple subsidies amid the disruption and financial impact caused by the coronavirus.
Earlier this week, a group of representatives from an association of private continuing education organizations submitted a petition to the government headquarters.
The group raised seven suggestions with the government, mainly related to financial subsidies on behalf of 120 private education organizations, including approximately 80 education centers and 40 tutoring centers.
According to the association representatives, these organizations want subsidies for office rental and employee salaries.
Similar to the calls of other small and medium-sized enterprises, the centers hope the local government can increase loans to small businesses, provide a one-time subsidy to temporarily suspended organizations, allow the government’s 3,000 patacas e-voucher coupon to be used in the education sector, and help organizations to buy epidemic prevention tools.
These centers explained that the education industry was one of the sectors which were called to suspend businesses at the earliest stages of the epidemic, and that there is still no exact schedule for resumption of businesses.
The group of representatives said that rent and employees’ salaries are the biggest burden for these centers, which are mostly small enterprises that do not have enough resources to endure a long-term business suspension. JZ