Basic Education in China(III)

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Pre-school Education

2001-01-01

Pre-school education is an important component of education cause in China. In urban areas, pre-school education is mainly kindergartens of 3 years, two years or one year which could be full time part-time, boarding or hour-reckoned. In rural areas, pre-school education is mainly nursery classes and seasonal kindergartens in addition. In the aging, minority, remote and poor areas, besides the normal preschool education, there are irregular education with various forms such as children activity centers, game groups, mobile aid centers, and mobile service called "caravan". Following the policy of providing per-schooling education by the state, collective bodies, citizens and individuals and developing through multiple channels in various forms, pre-school education in China has made significant progress. By the end of 1998, China has more than 180,000 kindergartens with the enrollment of 24,000,000 pupils and the participant rate of one-year pre-school education has reached 70%. Per-school education has been generally universalized in big and middle-sized cities. During recent years, pre-school education in the mass rural areas, particularly in remote, poor and minority areas, has developed rapidly. In 1998, among the 11 provinces in the southwest and northwest part of China, 39.9% of children in the 22 poverty stricken counties authorized by the state participated three-year pre-school education and 66.7% participated in one-year pre-school education. The kindergartens combine childcare with teaching so that the children will develop physically, morally, intellectually and aesthetically in a harmonious way to get ready for their formal school education. The educational activities conducted in kindergartens constitute a systematic, purposeful and multi-faceted process of education conductive to lively, invigorating and sound development of children. With playing games as the main part of educational activities in kindergartens, a good environment should be created conducive to the education with conditions and opportunities offered to children to live and display their expressiveness.

To enhance the management and guidance of kindergartens, the state has formulated a serious of regulations including "Regulations on The Management of Kindergartens" and the "Regulations on Kindergarten Work" placing the management of kindergartens on scientifically sound and institutionalized basis.

The state has also formulated regulations and rules concerning the qualification of kindergarten teachers and the assessment of their performance. At present, the normal schools devoted to the training of kindergarten teachers and the discipline of pre-school education have made big stride and the training system of pre-school teachers at considerable scale has taken shape.


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