For a vast country like China, the future will undoubtedly hinge on balanced development. This is not only in economic terms, but, more importantly, a balance demographically.

It is in this sense that we applaud the promise from the central educational authorities that during the 2006-10 period, China will start to adopt a system of free nine-year compulsory education for the country's rural children.

Zhang Baoqing, vice-minister of education, made the promise at a press conference on Monday.

The pledge, once translated into concrete action, will mark a crucial step in the fulfilment of China's national development strategies, which increasingly focus on human development.

The almost unlimited supply of cheap labour used to be cited as one of the decisive advantages for China's economic competitiveness. These labourers are often from rural areas, without a strong educational background. Many of them are paid poorly, driving down manufacturing costs.

In the long run, a labour force without education is not in China's interests. Many children in rural areas do not have access to high-quality compulsory education because of poverty and a lack of investment.

In the first place, this jeopardizes education equality. It will also put the country's long-term development at stake.

It is unimaginable that China would be able to maintain sustainable economic and social development in the coming decades with a large part of its population suffering from inadequate education, no matter how well trained the rest of the people are. Worldwide experience shows educational inequality affects economic efficiency and leads to social unrest.

Farmers currently earn about one-third the income of their urban counterparts. They have shouldered the bulk of the costs of rural education.

According to official surveys, township and county-level coffers, or farmers' taxes, pay for about 80 per cent of rural education, which accommodates 120 million primary and high school students.

In many places, Zhang admitted, the government levies various fees to make up for inadequacy of government input in education, worsening farmers' financial situations and leading many to drop out of school.

The latest official promise means the government will have to increase funding to enable rural children to receive nine years of schooling. The authorities currently shoulder only a small proportion of rural education expenditure.

We need not worry about the government's fiscal strength or ability to keep its promise. In the first half of this year, the central coffers racked up 1.581 trillion yuan (US$195.2 billion) -- an increase of 21.7 per cent year-on-year.

Various estimates put the cost of providing free compulsory education in rural areas at 20-80 billion yuan (US$2.47-9.9 billion).

The government certainly should implement the free compulsory education plan step by step. Initially it has started to exempt poor students in the country's poverty-stricken counties from textbook and miscellaneous fees, and has begun subsidizing their lodgings.

The gradual approach will not impose an excessive burden on central coffers.

(China Daily August 31, 2005)