The Walt Disney Company decided to shut down its 26 English learning centers all around China amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, according to a statement issued on Monday.

"Over the past few years, we have noticed a shift in consumer preferences toward online learning experiences, and this trend has been accelerated by the global pandemic as families are hesitant to resume in-person supplemental learning classes. After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to not reopen the centers," stated Mahesh Samat, executive vice president of Disney's Consumer Products, Gaming and Publishing division for the Asia-Pacific region. 

According to Samat, the award-winning Disney English has attracted more than 100,000 learners in China in the 12 years since its launch in Shanghai in September 2008. As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, Disney English centers have remained closed since January.

"We want to express our sincere gratitude to the entire learning community, each learner, their families, and our cast members for their support. We are ensuring that each family of a Disney English learner is refunded accordingly, and we are taking care of each and every one of our affected cast members," he said.

From June 26 to July 21, Disney English centers nationwide will begin processing tuition fee refunds. The free online courses provided by Disney English since March 19 was also terminated on June 22.

Disney English's website shows that a learner in the 3 - 12 age group would pay about 24,000 yuan ($3,396) a year for a 96-class English learning course. Each class lasts 60 minutes, combining Disney classic cartoon elements. Disney has 26 learning centers in 6 cities, including Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, and Shenzhen.

Disney English's official social media account posted: "Thank you for letting us be a part of your children's lives. We wish you all a bright future." 

Many parents left comments on the social media post, saying that they wanted Disney English to stay, and some even said that they didn't want an immediate refund if this could support Disney English through a tough time. 

According to an Oliver Wyman report in April, the broader English language training market for learners aged 3 to 18 reached 90 billion yuan in 2019, achieving a compound annual growth rate of about 40% over the past four years.

But China's junior English language training businesses, which targets teaching children aged 3 to 9, have been hit by the COVID-19 outbreak due to the closure of offline learning centers. Training providers tried to shift the offline courses online, but that was not well received by students or their parents, the leading international management consulting firm added.

Disney's shutdown reflects how tough and painful this year is going to be for offline education and training institutions, as well as other offline venues from cinemas to fitness centers, due to the pandemic.

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