Chinese lawmakers are considering enacting a preschool education law to guarantee that high-quality preschool education is available to all children. The draft bill was presented to MPs for consideration during the current session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee on Monday. Huai Jinpeng, Minister of Education, stated at the session that despite the tremendous growth of preschool education, the sector has seen imbalanced and inadequate development in recent years. He identified key issues, such as the difficulty of enrolling children in kindergartens and the fact that certain kindergartens charge excessive prices. To ensure the sector's long-term growth, the proposed law emphasizes the government's primary role in popularizing preschool education and developing a preschool public-service system that serves both urban and rural regions and is of public interest. According to the suggested draft, the government should also direct non-governmental organizations to provide accessible preschool education materials. In terms of child care and education, the proposal states that kindergartens should prioritize the safety of children. It prevents preschool education establishments from administering any type of testing to children other than obligatory health checks. The teaching of primary school subjects is likewise prohibited.
