Perfect the System, Increase Input, and Promote a More Equitable Education: Thoughts after the Implementation of the New Mechanism for Assured Funding for Rural Compulsory Education

Overview & Synopsis

In 2006, the Chinese government conducted, in the western provinces and a few central provinces, a reform that exempted all rural compulsory education stage students from tuition and miscellaneous fees, in accordance with the measures for implementing the New Mechanism for Assured Funding for Rural Compulsory Education (hereafter "New Mechanism"). At the start of the new year in 2007, the state waived the tuition and miscellaneous fees for rural compulsory education stage students in all regions and for urban compulsory education stage students in the eight provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions of Anhui, Jiangxi, Shanghai, Tianjin, Ningxia, Jiangsu, Hainan, and Zhejiang. This policy, which benefits the people, is profoundly welcomed by farmers. The implementation of the New Mechanism has solved the issue of making school attendance affordable for every child and has laid the basis for enabling everyone to benefit from an equitable education. However, the present imbalances in China's compulsory education currently make it impossible for every child to acquire the conditions that could enable equitable education. This article presents the author's initial policy proposals. [This article was translated by Ted Wang.]