Free Preschool Education to Unlock Human Capital
Wu Shao Long
Recently, the State Council has deployed a series of measures to gradually implement free preschool education. Relevant department officials introduced the situation regarding the gradual implementation of free preschool education policies.
Currently, China's preschool education has achieved a coverage rate exceeding 90%, but there is still a shortage in terms of "quantity and quality". From a global perspective, the key to deepening the promotion of free preschool education lies in building a stable and sustainable financial investment mechanism and an efficient and collaborative governance system.
The UK has adopted a gradual strategy of "early start, then expansion", laying a foundation for institutional stability; Germany has adopted a model of "federal legislation + local implementation", stimulating grassroots innovation; Russia has implemented central unified policies and solved the problem of limited educational resources in remote areas through "mobile preschools"; Singapore has adopted a government-led + market-coordinated mode, achieving balance between quality and efficiency.
According to the introduction by relevant department officials, stable and steady progress is the key point for China's gradual implementation of free preschool education. Firstly, prioritize universal access from 2025 autumn semester onwards, with an estimated 12 million children benefiting this year; secondly, steadily push forward, persevering in making efforts while taking into account sustainable development, and timely research and perfect policies; thirdly, increase government investment to achieve a "reduction in family education expenses" through "addition of government investment"; finally, ensure financial support is allocated accurately by the central and local governments. A series of policies take into account actual circumstances and sustainability, ensuring that each step takes a stable and practical approach.
Preschool education as the "first buckle" in China's national education system, not only measures the public's concern for life but also serves as a driving force to promote population quality. Gradually implementing free preschool education is not simply a matter of expanding educational benefits, but rather a key step to respond to the people's expectations for "raising children well" and linking up with global education development trends. Its core values lie in breaking through institutional barriers to convert education fairness into the driving force for population quality.
From "having a garden" to "a good garden", from "family paying the bill" to "national support", when each child can receive nurturing care under the sun and rain, the subtle streams of population quality will eventually gather into the surging river of national development.