The days when Chinese students have different apps for choosing class modules, paying for food on campus, and getting into dormitories are numbered – the Chinese education ministry has recently announced its plan to survey and regulate campus apps.
In a document issued earlier this month, the education ministry said it would join hands with the country’s internet authority in regulating the misuse of campus apps, including both third-party apps and the apps developed by school themselves.
The ministry’s announcement to regulate campus apps came after harsh criticism from the state news agency Xinhua last December. Citing the example of a Hunan college that asks students to scan QR codes to pay for the water in their showers, the Xinhua reporter lashed out at various campus apps that seemed to cause trouble to students in the name of providing convenience.