Migrant children have right to education

A SCHOOL FOR MIGRANT CHILDREN IN SHANGHAI is considering closing because it cannot enroll enough students, as migrant children cannot present a local residence permit to be admitted. China Youth Daily commented on Tuesday:

The sharp decline in the number of students and the tearful migrant parents begging for their kids to be admitted are the result of the Shanghai government tightening its restrictions on migrant workers and their children.

How to rein in the urban population while guaranteeing the right of migrant children to education is not an easy task for the municipal government. But few expected that Shanghai would choose to emulate Beijing's policy by setting up higher thresholds for migrant children to be admitted to public schools, even though many of the schools have more than enough vacancies.