Urban-Rural Disparities in Educational Equality: China's Pressing Challenge in a Context of Economic Growth and Political Change

Abstract

also professes its commitment to equality, andhas taken a variety of steps to provide at least basic education to its citizens. At thesame time, China has its own interpretation of the notion of equality. This, togetherwith its limited ability to fund measures to work towards the goal, has had great impactespecially in rural areas. Globalization is affecting China’s policy priorities in educa-tion, and has transformed the discursive terrain within which educational policies aredeveloped and enacted. Parallel to the international situation, the effects of globaliza-tion on educational and social equality on different groups and communities varygreatly within China, creating enormous disparities among people.Indeed, accompanying China’s robust economic growth is that China has becomeone of the countries with the largest urban–rural gap in the world.