context: The nine-year compulsory education system, which was implemented in 1986, has been in place for over three decades. This year's Government Work Report sets the target to increase the average number of years of education for the working-age population to 11.3 years by 2025. Whether the current system can support that goal is questionable.
Proposals to extend compulsory ed from nine to twelve years sparked heated debates at the just concluded 2023 Two Sessions, reports China News Weekly.
GDP has increased from 1 trillion yuan in 1986 to 120 trillion yuan in 2022, which makes it possible to extend compulsory education to twelve years, says Chen Zhongyi 陈众议 CASS (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) academician and NPC delegate, arguing that extending compulsory education would not only ease the involution in primary and junior high school ed but also cushion the impact of streaming between general and vocational education.
Cai Fang 蔡昉 CASS vice-president argues that an improvement in the educational qualifications of enterprise workers can increase labour productivity.
However, many experts consider that extending the number of years of education for nationals will necessitate first solving a range of issues.
Xiong Bingqi 熊丙奇 21st Century Education Institute director indicates that in order to bring high school education into compulsory education, it is necessary to first achieve a balanced development of high schools.
Twelve years of compulsory education seems too lengthy, says Ruan Shiwei 阮诗玮 CPPCC member, who suggests shortening the school year, abolishing zhongkao (the high school entrance exam) and separating general and vocational education while incorporating high school into compulsory education.
However, in the opinion of other education experts, a reduced school term is not a good option.
According to Chu Zhaohui 储朝晖 National Institute of Education Sciences researcher, the current length of schooling fits well with children's developmental, cognitive and psychological development.
The proposal to shorten the school system is derived from the catalyst of examination-based education, says Xiong, adding that compressing the school system would not only seriously affect the quality of basic education, but also strengthen the tendency to focus only on knowledge-based education and marginalise other education.
Compulsory education should be extended to the preschool year, including the use of existing kindergarten resources and the opening of preschool classes in primary schools, says Yuan Zhenguo 袁振国 East China Normal University Faculty of Education director, in the belief this could effectively utilise spare resources, save schooling costs and improve schooling efficiency.
To enhance the years of education for citizens, free high school education could also be an alternative, suggests Xiong Bingqi.