学前教育新规(xuéqián jiàoyù xīnguī): New regulation on preschool education

The State Council, China's Cabinet, recently issued a document on further improving preschool education, which is a significant part of the national education system.

The new regulation requires the gross enrollment rate of preschoolers from 3 to 6 years old to be 85 percent by 2020. The ratio of public and private affordable kindergartens should reach 80 percent by that time, and the country aims to enroll more than 200,000 college students majoring in preschool education to improve the overall quality of preschool teachers.

It is expected China will establish a national preschool education public service system that covers both the urban and rural areas by 2035, which will provide three-year affordable preschool education to all the preschool age children.

To regulate the development of private kindergartens and curb excessive profit-seeking behavior that may undermine the rights and interests of children, the regulation prohibits private capital from controlling State-owned, collective-owned or nonprofit kindergartens through mergers and acquisitions, franchises or other ways. Private kindergartens are banned from going public, and the listed companies are also prohibited from investing in for-profit kindergartens through the stock market or purchasing for-profit kindergarten assets.