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After a decade of rapid development, the accessibility of preschool education has been greatly improved. Could you please introduce what measures the MOE has taken to promote the development of preschool education? Going forward, how can inclusive preschool education resources continue to be expanded, the problem of difficult and expensive access to kindergartens be solved, and crucial support for the implementation of the three-child policy be provided?

Lyu Yugang: 

Thank you for your questions. These are good questions and of great public concern. The learning done in early childhood provides a crucial basis for the rest of one's whole life. The access to kindergartens has become a firm demand for many families. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the development of preschool education and issued a number of guidelines on deepening reform and standardizing the development of preschool education to promote its rapid development and improve its accessibility. In 2021, there were 295,000 kindergartens nationwide, with 48.05 million children enrolled. The gross three-year enrollment rate reached 88.1%, which was 23.6 percentage points higher than that of 2012. The coverage rate of government-subsidized private kindergartens reached 87.8%, which was 20.5 percentage points higher than that of 2016 when statistics began, enabling the vast majority of children to enjoy inclusive preschool education services and enhancing people's sense of happiness and gain.

Over the last decade, to promote the development of preschool education, we have focused our efforts on solving the problem of difficult and expensive access to kindergartens that is of great concern to the people, and achieved obvious progress. We have mainly taken measures from the following aspects.

First, we have remained firm to the direction of development, always adhered to the people-centered approach in the development of education, and firmly grasped the basic direction of preschool education for the benefit of the public.

Second, we have implemented special campaigns. The MOE and other departments have continuously carried out multi-phased action plans. The central government allocated 196 billion yuan of special funds to support preschool education and continued to step up efforts to promote its development.  

Third, we have expanded resources for the benefit of the public and vigorously developed public kindergartens, which accounted for 51.9% of the total in 2021, while actively supporting private kindergartens to provide public services. We have also implemented a special campaign to improve the governance of kindergartens in urban communities, bringing more than 20,000 kindergartens under orderly management, increasing the number of public education places by 4.16 million, and significantly expanding inclusive preschool education resources.

Fourth, we have established and improved institutions and systems, issued working rules and charging methods for kindergartens and guidelines on smooth transition from kindergarten to elementary school, and carried out supervision and evaluation on the operation of kindergartens and the provision of preschool education at the county level, to constantly improve the overall operation of kindergartens.

Next, the MOE will take implementation of the "14th Five-Year Plan" Action Plan for the Development and Improvement of Preschool Education as an important focus, earnestly implement the national population development strategy and actively promote the implementation of the three-child policy.

As for the overall goals, we will further increase the accessibility and affordability of preschool education. By 2025, the gross three-year preschool education enrollment rate is expected to reach 90%, the coverage rate of government-subsidized private kindergartens is expected to reach 85%, and a properly distributed public service system for preschool education will be established, covering both urban and rural areas.

In terms of the supply of places, according to the trend of population change, we will strengthen the prediction of enrollment demand by county, further expand preschool education resources through a variety of channels, especially inclusive preschool education resources, effectively solve the problem of large class sizes, and better meet the enrollment demand of kindergarten-age children.

In terms of policy support, we will further improve the system for ensuring inclusive preschool education, the mechanism for funding and cost sharing, and the system for providing supplementary kindergarten teachers and guaranteeing their salaries and benefits.

In terms of preschool care and education, we will continue regarding games as basic activities and deeply promote the transition from kindergarten to elementary school in a scientific manner, to effectively alleviate parents' anxiety about their children's enrollment. We will also improve the quality evaluation system and comprehensively improve care and education in kindergartens. Thank you.

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