The nation has begun to implement measures to provide education for the 3 million migrant children who accompany their rural parents to cities in search of a better life.
In Beijing, 123 schools have been set up by migrants, accommodating over 17,000 children in the capital.
These schools teach between 20 and 3,000 students each and charge about 300 yuan (US$36.10) each term.
"Migrant schools are affordable for migrant workers. And children here don't suffer from the discrimination they face in public schools, because they have similar family backgrounds," said Chen.
After a temporary regulation on compulsory education for migrant children was published in April, local authorities decided to cut charges for teaching migrant children in schools. Fees for primary school will be cut to 200 yuan (US$24.10) from the previous 500 yuan (US$60) in the next school year.
Li Guanzheng, deputy director of the Beijing Education Commission, said migrant children will be admitted into public schools. Special schools will be set up for them, and the management of some public schools will be entrusted to migrants.
Ningbo, a port city in East China's Zhejiang Province, has lifted the limit on rural people applying for registration as permanent residents.
Guangdong Province in South China is preparing to register its residents according to where they live and abolish policies separating urban and rural dwellers.
The problems with education for migrant children are mainly a result of the out-of-date residency registration system and the segmented governmental management of education, said Zhao Shukai, an expert with the Development Research Centre under the State Council. "The free movement of human resources is an inevitable response to the demand of the market economy."
(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2002)
