Should primary school content be banned in kindergartens in China? Lawmakers mull draft law
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Many families in China invest a lot in their children’s education, reported Nikkei Asia.
PHOTO: AFP
Kindergartens in China could be banned from teaching primary school academic content, as lawmakers began mulling a draft law to ensure that pre-school education remains accessible in the country.
The draft law, which is set to be the first national law on pre-school education, was tabled on Monday. It is being deliberated by lawmakers for the first time at a session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), which is held from Monday to Friday.
After a draft law is reviewed three times by the NPC Standing Committee, it will usually become a law, reported China Daily on Tuesday.
The draft law aims to provide equal opportunity for those who are at least three years old and have not enrolled in elementary school, said Nikkei Asia.
Apart from physical checks, kindergartens are not permitted to organise any tests or checks, said the draft. Kindergartens should also not have any enrolment tests and, instead, help students form good morality, behavioural habits, a healthy body and safety awareness.
Kindergarten teachers must also have teaching credentials before they are employed, among other criteria, said the draft.
Pre-school education is still a weak link in China’s education system, although it has developed rapidly in recent years, said Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng.
Some kindergartens are very expensive and there is also a lack of affordable kindergartens in the country, said Mr Huai.
Many families in China invest a lot in their children’s education, reported Nikkei Asia, adding that private pre-school fees have become a major factor to the country’s rising education costs.
Local governments should open public kindergartens and support private kindergartens to offer affordable pre-school education, said the draft.
In 2022, the gross enrolment rate of kindergartens reached 89.7 per cent, reported China Daily, citing the Ministry of Education. The rate is up by 1.6 percentage points from 2021.
China has 289,200 kindergartens, according to China Daily. Around 85 per cent of them are affordable kindergartens. In 2022, there were more than 46.2 million kindergarten students.
