Migrant kids will get education

By Wu Yiyao (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-08 10:12

As many as 90 percent of migrant students in compulsory education in Beijing will study at publicly-funded schools by 2012, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education announced recently.

That figure is a significant rise from this year's target of 70 percent.

The remaining 30 percent this year will attend private schools designated to handle children of migrant worker families, with teaching fees significantly lower than standard private alternatives.

The proposal comes amid recent reports that many schools devoted to migrant students will be vacated or demolished this year in the city's project to integrate the urban and rural areas. Nearly 20,000 students will be resettled to surrounding publicly-funded or private schools.

About 400,000 students of migrant families are taking compulsory education in Beijing.

In Chaoyang district alone, about 4,600 students from migrant families currently need to relocate as 13 schools are vacated. Surrounding public and private schools are being asked to handle the overflow.

Ma Xuejun, 38, a migrant worker from Henan province living in Cuigezhuang village, Chaoyang district, said his 10-year-old daughter now attends a public school, just two days after her former school was vacated.

"The new school has better conditions, but the tuition fee is twice as high," Ma said.

Ma is also concerned about his 14-year-old son's high school education next year.

Compulsory education refers to primary and middle school education, nine years of study from the ages of 6 to 15. High school is not compulsory, nor is university education.

Non-compulsory education has been a problem for migrant families for years. Students without a Beijing hukou (household registration) are not allowed to apply to publicly-funded high schools, and private high schools are often too expensive for many migrant families.

Even if they are admitted to high schools in Beijing, they are not allowed to take college entrance examinations in the city.

This policy is not unique to Beijing, and crosses into almost all the major cities in China, according to a high school teacher who asked to remain anonymous.

Migrant worker Ma said he is going to send his children back to their hometown to complete their high school education.

However, the floating population like Ma might have more choice in the future.

Students from migrant families will soon be allowed to apply to publicly-funded high schools and take college entrance exams in Beijing, according to a proposal from the recently issued public draft of the national long-term plan for education reform and development (2010-20).