Policies for Compulsory Education Disparity Between Urban and Rural Areas in China

Abstract

An important function of public policies is to distribute public resources rationally. But for a long time, our public policies have been so “city-oriented” that public resources are allocated unfairly and majority of high-quality education resources are concentrated in cities. This has already led to a serious unbalanced development in compulsory education and to a tremendous gap in conditions in schools—running and enrollment chances for the school-age children between rural and urban areas, which tend to be enlarged. The unbalanced development in compulsory education has not only blocked the realization of public interest and equity of compulsory education but also restricted the harmonious social and economic development between urban and rural areas. It is necessary to look into public policies that have influence on the division of public resources and criticize them rationally. These policies include land institutions, tax systems, social security systems, policies for the input of compulsory education, and policies for teachers, etc. New policies should be made to distribute public resources fairly and rationally, narrowing the gap in compulsory education between urban and rural areas.