 Starting from this September, Zhuhai City will start offering 12 year free education to all kids in primary and secondary school will be exempt from tuition fees, while China as a whole only implement 9 year obligatory education.
Let's see how the mass media is response to the news.
A scene taken from a secondary school in the southern city of Zhuhai. [File Photo: zhjy.net]
The website Rednet runs a comment asserting that the 12 years of free education should be spread to encompass the whole nation. The writer says this policy shows the municipal government's resolution on changing its role into that of a public service provider, as well as a forward-looking planner. Education enables lower-class people to move upwards, as long as they are armed with enough knowledge and skills. In this sense, education, a tool in the governments' hands, can help redress inequalities. China's current nine years' compulsory education system is yet to cover high school, which is a crucial time in an individual's academic career and for future prospects.. It is during these crucial three years that charges have caused many youths to drop out.
Dahe Newspaper features an article summing up the benefits of this policy in three points. Firstly, school age children will, without exception, be entitled to equal opportunities in obtaining a good education. Secondly, the pressure resulting from entrance exams, at different levels, will be lessened. Children will not be faced with cutthroat competition at the every juncture along the road to university. Thus, they can save some time and energy for developing themselves in an all-around manner. Thirdly, under this policy, imbalances in the education quality between different regions and schools will be assuaged.
Beijing News publishes an article citing innumerable figures showing that most developed countries have made a point of stretching tuition-free education years to span as long a period as possible---even some developing countries like Cuba, and a few African countries have attained the 12 year mark. After years of fast growth, China has garnered enough wealth to pump into the improvement of its citizens' education in a more ambitious way. Education is ultimately the key to guaranteeing the sustainability of economic development.
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