PRIMARY EDUCATION IN CHINA
INTRODUCTION: -Primary education is typically
the first stage of formal schooling. It contributes
to the development of child in all areas.
Cognitive, emotional, social, moral, psychomotor,
and aesthetic. It also contributes to the
acquisition of skills useful for their lives, right
attitudes and value. Primary education not only
important for a child it is important for the
society, state and nation as it deal with their
future. In a country with such a large population
like china, it is necessary to improve the quality
of basic education or primary education for
transforming the heavy population burden to rich
human resources.
BASIC STRUCTURE OF CHINESE EDUCATION
China is the world’s most populous country. With
a population of over 1.3 billion, covering
approximately 9.6 million square kilo meters.
China has the largest education system in
the world with almost 260 million students
and 15 million teachers in about 514000
schools. (National Bureau of statistics of china
2014) China education system is not only
immense but diverse. Education is state run
with a little involvement of private provider
in school sector. Country level government
have primary responsibility of governing and
delivery of school education. For the most
part provincial authorities administer higher
education in recent year. In china education
is divided into three major categories, basic
education, higher education and adult
education. By law each child must have
nine year of compulsory education. This
included six year of primary education and three
year of primary and 4 year of junior secondary
education. The structure of Chinese education is
as follow.
Preschool education (3-6 ages)
Primary education-6 years (1-6 grades, 6-12 years)
Secondaryeducation-juniorsecondary-3years(7-
9grades,12-15age)
Seniorsecondary-general-3years (10-
12greades, 15-18age)
Vocational-4 years
Entrance exam to enter the general senior
secondary school is zhongkao.
Higher education- Bachelors degree- 4 years
Master’s degree-2-3 years
Doctoral degree-3 years
Student wishing to go to university must take
National Higher Education Entrance Test
(Gaokao). Adult education- The adult
education ranges from primary to higher
education.
Major educational reform
The theoretical foundation for the current
educational system in China may be traced
to the “Decision on the Reform of the
Educational Structure”, a decree issued in
1985 by the Central Committee of the
Chinese Communist Party, which was
formalized a year later by the National
People’s Congress with the ratification of
the “Compulsory Education Law.” The new
law would serve as the basis for reform at
all levels within China’s system of
education, while underscoring the
leadership’s commitment to basic
education both as a legal and a moral
imperative. At the core of these reforms was
the belief that in order to prepare the country for
the 21st century, it was necessary to develop all
sectors of education, the most vital of which
included elementary and secondary education. In
line with its commitment to universalize basic
education for the rural poor, including ethnic
minorities, the Chinese government granted
municipal- and provincial-level governments with
the administrative power to organize and
regulate public education on the basis of local
needs and conditions. In other words, while the
Ministry of Education remains the central
authority in formulating guidelines and policies,
as well as establishing the national curriculum,
local and provincial education departments have
assumed greater jurisdiction over the
development of provincial curricula and course
materials. The result is an increasingly diversified
curriculum that reflects the integration of local
and national agendas, whereby courses are both
predetermined by the state and developed by
provincial-level education departments to
incorporate the needs and priorities of individual
schools and districts.
EDUCATIONAL FUNDING
The education system in China is funded by a
number of sources. Government appropriations
are the major source of funding. Government
appropriations are comprised of budgetary and
non-budgetary funds, of which budgetary funds
are the main component. Budgetary funds, or
public expenditure on education, include funds
from both the education sector and other sectors.
Non-budgetary funds include taxes for education
levied by local government, educational funds
from enterprises and other funds that belong to
government appropriations. Additional financial
sources for education include tuition fees,
donations and fundraising. Other than
government appropriation for education, private
organisations and individuals are the principal
sources of funding for schools run by these
organisations or individuals.
EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
The Ministry of Education of People’s Republic of China
is the agency of the State Council that oversees
education throughout the country. State Council is the
chief administrative authority in China. It is responsible
for carrying out the policies of the Communist Party of
China as well as the regulations and laws adopted by
the National People’s Congress. At the provincial level
in China, there are departments of education or
commissions that are in charge of education. At the
county level, bureaus of education are in charge.
Policies and strategies designed by the Ministry of
Education are implemented by local departments of
education, or universities under its direct management.
Local education authorities, departments and bureaus
of education often formulate policy documents that
correspond to national policy and include local
adjustments and guidelines for specific implementation.
As policies are implemented by local governments,
more practical guidelines are added. As such, policies
generated by the central government aim to set
general goals rather than dictate specific methods. By
the time these policies and strategies arrive in the
schools and other relevant institutions, they include
practical guidelines.
A Brief Account on the Basic Education china
One of the policy changes advanced by the “Education
Law” has been the establishment of a 12-year
schooling structure (6+3+3). The nine-year compulsory
education component is comprised of primary school
(five or six years) and junior secondary school (typically
three years). General academic senior secondary
education is three years in length. Basic education is
the cornerstone of the national education system, the
key to increase the comprehensive national strength
and to improve citizen’s quality, the foundation of
social justice and a humorous society and an important
way to eliminate poverty.
Preschool education
As usual, the pre-school education starts at age three
and ends at age six, and it was also known as a
kindergarten education in China. Preschool facilities
were to be established in buildings made available by
public enterprises, production teams, municipal
authorities, local groups, and families. The government
announced that it depended on individual organizations
to sponsor their own preschool education. Preschool
education was to become a part of the welfare services
of various government organizations, institutes, and
state and collectively operated enterprises.
Primary education
Primary education is compulsory and free in china. It
last for six years starting at age of six and ends at 12.
Under the law of nine year compulsory education,
primary school was to be tuition free and reasonably
located for the convenience of children attending them.
Curriculum- The current curriculum scheme for
primary and junior secondary education was introduced
and implemented in 1993, under the “Teaching Scheme
(Curriculum) for Full-time Primary and Secondary
Schools (Pilot)” program. The subjects and courses are
comprised of compulsory subjects based on the
national curriculum as well as subjects developed by
provincial-level education bodies and implemented by
individual schools on the basis of local needs and
priorities. The prescribed curriculum for six years
of elementary education includes nine
compulsory courses (mathematics, science,
social studies, political education, Chinese
language, physical education, music, fine arts,
and labor skills), with a foreign language as an
elective.
Examination - Graduation requirements include
passing exams in Chinese and mathematics, along with
meeting physical education standards. The
examinations are normally designed and administered
by schools with guidance from local educational
authorities
School year- A typical school year is comprised of
two semesters and runs from the month of
September to July. Students attend classes five
days a week. The actual end of the school year
and beginning of the summer holiday is set in
accordance with the Chinese Spring Festival, with
the spring semester beginning ten days after that
date. The school year of primary schools
comprises 38 weeks of teaching sessions with an
additional week in reserve and 13 weeks for
holidays and vacations
Secondary education
Junior secondary school-
Junior secondary education is more commonly known
as middle school education, it consists of the last three
years of compulsory education. The junior high school
education usually starts at age 13 and ends at age 15.
Curriculum- In junior secondary school, the prescribed
curriculum includes 13 compulsory courses. consists of
Chinese, math, English, physics, chemistry, history,
politics, geography, biology, PE, IT (information
technology), music and drawing, which is also
combined with practical work experience around the
school.
Examination - In order for students to obtain a
certificate of graduation, students are required to pass
graduation examinations and meet minimum physical
education standards. The graduation examinations are
designed and administered by individual schools
according to guidelines set by the provincial
educational bureaus or by local educational authorities.
Completion of junior (lower) secondary education also
marks the end of a 9-year (6+3) compulsory education
program.
School year- The school year of primary and
secondary school is divided into two semesters. The
school year for junior secondary schools comprises 39
weeks for teaching with an additional week in reserve
and 12 weeks for holidays and vocations
Senior secondary school- After the completion of
junior (lower) secondary school, students can choose to
enter either general (academic) senior secondary
school or vocational senior secondary school. General
(academic) senior secondary school lasts 3 years and
vocational senior secondary school lasts 3 or 4 years.
Senior secondary education often refers to three years
of high school (or called senior middle school)
education, as from grade 10 to grade 12.Students
wishing to continue their study in the general
(academic) track must pass the entrance examinations
for general senior secondary schools, which is known as
zhongkao. Designed and administered by provincial
educational authorities, the entrance examination
includes the same subjects as the junior secondary
Curriculum- The academic curriculum consists of
Chinese, Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemistry,
Biology, Geography, History, Ideology & Political
Science, Music, Fine Arts, PE, Technology, Computing,
etc. Some schools may also offer vocational subjects.
Generally speaking, Chinese, Mathematics, and English
are considered as three main subjects as they will
definitely be examined in Gaokao
School year- The length of program for senior
secondary education is now comprised of 40 weeks of
classroom instruction, one week of public service, and
11 weeks of vacation (including winter and summer
vacation, and national holidays). Each semester is
divided into two 10-week sections (nine weeks for class,
one week for review and final exams). Students
typically take compulsory courses in the first year, and
a combination of compulsory and elective courses in
the second and third year. The second semester of the
third year is often reserved for review and final exams,
although there may be slight variations from school to
school in the structuring of courses in the third year. At
the end of their final school year, graduates of senior
secondary schools seeking admission to post-secondary
education are required to take the National Higher
Education Entrance Examination, also called National
College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly
known as (gaokao) in China.
Vocational education- The "Law on Vocational
Education" was issued in 1996. Vocational education
embraces higher vocational schools, secondary skill
schools, vestibule schools, vocational high schools, job-
finding centers, and other adult skills and social training
institutes. Vocational senior secondary schools provide
subject and occupation specific education and training.
Vocational senior secondary education is highly
employment oriented and graduates normally enter the
workforce. However, it does offer some access to
further education, particularly in the
technical/vocational specialties. Since the year 2000,
the Ministry of Education (MOE) has allowed graduates
of vocational secondary schools to take the NCEE and
be admitted into higher education programs.
Present condition and challenges- The most
notable government policy, the 1986 Law on Nine-Year
Compulsory Education, called for achievement of the
‘two basics’ universal enrollment among school-aged
children (6-15 years) and full literacy among those
under the age of 20. Other measures have centered on
revising the national curriculum and enhancing teacher
training programs. Since the promulgation of the
"Compulsory Education Law o" in 1986, the 9-year
compulsory education has been implemented by
governments at various levels and made significant
progress. According to the statistics of 2019, the net
enrollment rate of primary school age children above
99%. In 2019, there were altogether 166,389 primary
schools with an enrollment of 106,034,691 students and
there were total 77,270 secondary education schools
with an enrollment of 88,323,364 students in China. By
1980 the percentage of students enrolled in primary
schools was high, but the schools reported high dropout
rates and regional enrollment gaps (most enrollees
were concentrated in the cities). Only one in four
counties had universal primary education. On average,
10 percent of the students dropped out between each
grade. During the 1979–83 periods, the government
acknowledged the "9-6-3" rule, that is, that nine of ten
children began primary school, six completed it, and
three graduated with good performance. This meant
that only about 60 percent of primary students actually
completed their five-year program of study and
graduated, and only about 30 percent were regarded
as having primary-level competence. Statistics in the
mid-1980s showed that more rural girl than boys
dropped out of school. Within the framework of the Law
on Nine-Year Compulsory Education and the general
trend toward vocational and technical skills, attempts
were made to accommodate and correct the gap
between urban and rural education. Yet educational
access remains uneven in China. Students born into
affluent families generally have greater access to high-
quality education than those from lower income
backgrounds. Education-finance policies requiring local
governments to bear partial responsibility for funding
schools have compounded this issue, leaving less
affluent areas without sufficient resources to pay skilled
teachers, purchase necessary instruction materials, and
maintain school facilities. As of 2011, China eliminated
illiteracy among young and middle-aged citizens – a
landmark achievement for a country with the world’s
largest population. Nevertheless, provincial variations
reveal the incomplete nature of China’s ongoing
development. Wealthy cities, such as Beijing and
Shanghai, reported 2014 literacy rates (98.52 percent
and 96.85 percent) comparable with those of
developed countries. At the other extreme, Tibet’s
literacy rate was a mere 60.07 percent in same year,
pegging it closer to under-developed countries like Haiti
and Zambia.
References
Beijing Bureau of Statistics (2015), “[Beijing Economic and
Social Development StatisticalBulletin2014],
CentralPeople’sGovernment (2014), “[The achievement of the
plan for improving nutrition for rural students receiving
compulsory education, Central
People’sGovernmentGuangdongBureauofStatistics (2015),
[Guangdong Economic and Social
DevelopmentStatisticalBulletin2014],
Jiangsu Bureau of Statistics (2015 [Jiangsu Economic and Social
Development Statistical Bulletin 2014],
