Has Your Preschool’s Name Changed? Here’s Why

Advertisement

Have you noticed that your child’s international kindergarten suddenly changed its name? If not, you soon might.

On Dec 16, as part of the “14th Five Year Plan,” the Ministry of Education issued its Preschool Education Development and Promotion Action Plan. While the title is a mouthful, the Action Plan does address some serious issues pertaining to young children – especially when it comes to kindergartens that have faced allegations of child abuse and corporal punishment, both overt and less visible.

At the same time, the Action Plan stipulates that by June 2022, kindergartens in China should no longer contain the words “China,” “National,” “International,” “World,” “Global,” as well as the names of any foreign countries or places. Likewise, the words “Bilingual,” “Art,” “Chinese Studies,” and “Private School” are also off the table.

In the announcement, the MOE emphasized that the primary goal is to make universal preschool education more equitable. It also highlighted projected estimates for enrollment in three-year preschools nationwide, which are expected to reach 90 percent by 2025.

The purpose of the Action Plan is a noble one. It aims to improve the quality of kindergarten care and education for the masses by reducing class size, preventing the emergence of new unlicensed kindergartens, adjusting the cost standard for public kindergartens and creating a maximum price limit for private ones, and strictly prohibiting the use of substitute teachers on a long-term basis.

Click here to read the original announcement in Chinese.

Images: unsplash

Daily Poll

Would you create a social media account for your baby?

KEEP READING

Advertisement