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| Lift farmers out of "education poverty" |
| CCTV.COM 2003-03-16 13:03:45 |
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NPC deputies from 12 provinces across China have joined in a strong and urgent call to revise the existing law on compulsory education. They've underscored the need to ensure adequate educational input in the rural areas and keep its development in line with other regions. The deputies say upgrading rural education is key for the country to achieve its goal of a well－off society.
Wang Bintai, director of the Jiangsu Provincial Education Department, is the initiator to table a motion calling for amending the Compulsory Education Law. This motion has gained support from 376 educational decision makers and educators from 12 provinces attending the ongoing NPC session.
"The core of the issue is the funding of compulsory education. There are five levels of government from central to local. How much funding should each shoulder？ What are the legal channels for raising money？ None of this is stipulated by current law. That will hamper the efficiency of fund－raising," Wang said.
He says insufficient money is now a prominent problem challenging the implementation of basic education in China's vast rural areas.
The current law was enacted some seventeen years ago. In many areas, it's failing to meet the changing social situation. Hu Pingping, another proposer, pointed out that the population shift from rural to urban areas has brought new problems.
Hu, vice director of Anhui Provincial Education Department, said:"With the pace of urbanization, an influx of migrant workers has come to the cities. That brings about problems who should guarantee their children's basic education. This problem should be dealt with by law."
Another issue the motion touches upon is the geographic disparities of compulsory education.
"Compulsory education is the government's responsibility. Since the common people are all tax payers, they should enjoy equal public service. This is their fair and legitimate right. But now the gap between rural and urban areas is widening," Hu added.
The motion has now been submitted to the special committee under China's top law－making body, the NPC. It will be submitted to the NPC Standing Committee to deliberate before any revisions to the law are made.
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Editor: Xiao Wei CCTV.com
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