Last Updated on March 16, 2024 by Nasir Hanif
China growth and globalization of its economy brought about the need to attain universal literacy. The country’s vision of being modernized needed the right expertise and talent to harness its development programs. A society’s essential need is education, which helps the population become more independent. China introduced the nine-year compulsory education program to realize its growth and development ambitions.
The Nine-year Compulsory Education
The Chinese government highly values making compulsory education a universal right in rural, underdeveloped, and minority communities. China introduced nine years of compulsory basic education to all children who attained school-going age in 1986. The policy’s goals are to equip all children with a foundational education, to lower the illiteracy rate, and to advance social and economic growth in China. There was also a need to teach English in China to align with its global interests. The literacy campaign was largely successful due to the Chinese economy’s rapid expansion, particularly because the government evaluated officials’ performance based on how well the nine-year compulsory schooling system was working. When school-age children and teens begin their education under the nine-year mandatory education system, no tuition or other costs are levied for those nine years.
Levels of Compulsory Education in China
- Primary level education
The elementary education stage of compulsory schooling lasts six years. There are no entrance exams for the pupils, and school begins at age six. The major language that is used for instruction is Chinese, mathematics, Mandarin Chinese, social studies, education, physical, nature, ideology and morality, labor studies, fine art, and music studies are the subjects available at this level. The students must pass Chinese and Mathematics at the end of the six years to graduate and advance to the next level.
- Junior level education
The junior level of education in China is used to fulfill the nine years of compulsory education and begins once the Primary level of schooling is finished, lasting three years. Students must pass graduation exams and meet minimum physical education requirements to graduate and receive a diploma. The subjects examined for graduation include Mathematics, Chinese, Physics, Politics, and Foreign language, which has led to the introduction of English teaching jobs in China. The nine-year mandatory education period concludes with the junior level of education. The students choose whether to advance to senior secondary or vocational senior secondary school.
The Impact of Compulsory Education on China’s Economy and Society
China’s nine-year compulsory education program has had a significant impact on the country’s economy and society. The program was introduced to improve literacy rates, reduce poverty, and promote economic growth. It has been successful in achieving these goals, with China now having one of the highest literacy rates in the world. The program has also created employment opportunities for teachers and other sectors of the economy, such as education technology and school supplies.
However, the implementation of compulsory education has not been without its challenges. One of the biggest challenges is the gap between rural and urban education. While urban areas have access to better educational resources and facilities, rural areas often lack adequate funding and infrastructure. This has resulted in lower educational standards in rural areas, which has had a negative impact on economic growth and development.
Another challenge is the lack of resources to cater to the program’s needs. The government needs to allocate sufficient funding to ensure that all children have access to quality education. The introduction of English teaching jobs in China has helped to address this challenge by incorporating globally accepted standards of education into the compulsory education program.
The compulsory education program in China has been a positive step towards improving literacy rates, reducing poverty, and promoting economic growth. The program has its challenges, but the government’s continued commitment to education will ensure that all children have access to quality education, regardless of their location or background. The success of the program highlights the importance of education in a society’s growth and development, and serves as an example for other countries to follow.
Benefits of Compulsory Education in China
Mandatory enrollment in school resulted in higher literacy levels in China. There has been a dramatic improvement in the literacy levels of China, and China is among the countries with high literacy levels. It aligns with the goals of China in becoming a global force in terms of innovation and advancement in technology. China can tap into the expertise and talent of its educated population to provide solutions to emerging issues.
The nine-year compulsory education program offered employment opportunities to teachers needed for the program’s success. Opportunities to teach English in China also increased as an effort to place itself on a global scale. English teaching jobs in China gave a chance to incorporate globally accepted standards of education into the compulsory education program. Compulsory education also offered opportunities for other sectors of the economy to grow as they provided different services to the schools.
Compulsory education in China was a good initiative to enhance its citizens’ literacy levels. Closely monitoring the program and its use as a benchmark for performance evaluation for government officials ensured its success. Despite facing various challenges, such as a lack of adequate funds to cater for the program and the gap between rural and urban education, the program continues to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population.
