Dual public-private education model needed

Meanwhile, both public junior middle schools and private ones are allowed to enroll 10 percent of their students from outside their neighborhood, which in fact increases the quota of students that can select schools because in the past only schools that were permitted to enroll students of special talents could recruit students outside the nearest school communities. Even if the quota of selecting school students has been restricted, it will not prevent parents with money, power or connections from using them so their children are included in the 10 percent quota of the best schools.

The ideal compulsory education pattern should be that public schools strictly implement enrolling students from their communities, while parents who want to select the school their child attends choose a private school. To achieve this ideal situation the authorities should change the distribution mode for compulsory education resources, increase investment in public education to improve the quality of public education, and guarantee all kinds of schools' rights to provide independent education.

By doing this, the government will be able to guarantee the quality and fairness of compulsory education, while private schools will provide differentiated education options for students. This would not only guarantee the right of schools to offer independent education, it would also solve the problem of just those with the means going to the best schools.

To achieve that goal, the government should not repeatedly issue notices or regulations, instead it should restrain its power and respect the rights of schools and students. Restraining their power means the authorities should make the admission process of all compulsory education schools and the distribution of educational resources open and transparent. Respecting the rights of schools and students means governmental departments should not arbitrarily intervene in schools' independent education, and should not restrict students' rights to select schools.

The Compulsory Education Law stipulates the government should guarantee school-age students the right to being enrolled without examination in the school nearest where they live, but it does not prohibit students selecting schools. We should not confuse the government's obligation with students' rights.

The author is vice-president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute.