The improvement of the basic education has always been top on the government agenda in China. By 1965 the enrollment ratio of school age children reached 84.7 percent, increasing by 65 percentage points over 1946 before new China was founded.

1. Popularization of Primary Education

On December 3, 1980, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council jointly announced the Decision on the Matters Relating to Popularization of Primary Education, which reads: "The historic task to popularize primary education throughout the country shall be fulfilled in the 1980s, and the secondary education shall be popularized in the economically developed regions. The goal shall be realized before 1985 in some areas where the economy and education are well developed. And the deadline may be extended for those remote or mountainous areas having little number of residents."

On May 6, 1983, another circular was made by the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council. It required that given the new situation in rural China which saw rapid economic development, plans and measures for popularizing primary education be carried out by management at each level including those of district, town, village and production team. According to the document, specific standards and measures should be worked out by governments at provincial and city levels, and diversified measures may be adopted for running school in rural areas.

To carry out the policy, governments at various levels worked out their plans to improve popularization of primary education. Non-government efforts were brought to full play. In 1984, the average enrollment ratio of school-age children throughout the nation reached 95 percent, and 393 counties reached the goal of popularizing primary education after being checked by the government authorities concerned.

2. Implementing Compulsory Education

On May 27, 1985, the Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Reform of Educational Institution was announced. The document summarized the experiences and lessons in this regard in the past 30-odds years, while estimated how education should be developed to meet the demand of China's progress in the coming new century, and how the Western countries had developed and improved their educational causes. An important programmatic document in development of China's educational cause and conducting educational reform, it placed emphasis on developing basic education. It, for the first time, broke the state monopoly of education, thus giving right to local governments and even non-government bodies to run schools by relying upon efforts of their own. Because of the new policy, more schools have been established by relying on financial supports of both government and non-government sources, indicating a big progress in development of the basic education.

The Decision pointed out that the state-regulated nine-year compulsory education was the basis of developing education and reforming the existing educational institution. It called for an urgent making of the compulsory education law. On April 12, 1986, the Compulsory Education Law was ratified by NPC at the Fourth Session of its Sixth Standing Committee and the law began to take effect on July 1, 1986.

The legislation is believed to be a cornerstone in development of China's educational cause. Well-developed basic education nationwide will help improve the Chinese people's quality and educational level, a vital matter in realizing China's industrialization and modernization.

According to the Compulsory Education Law, of 18 articles, the state implements nine-year compulsory education, which shall be based on government's educational policies so as to promote development of youngsters in the development of morals, intelligence and health. Since education is compulsory, it should be guaranteed by the joint efforts of the government, communities and families. It regulates that all children aged six, with no distinction in gender, nationality and race, shall enroll in school, although the age may be raised to seven or even older in economically poor regions. The system of primary education falls into two stages--elementary and secondary education. The law also provides regulations on financial sources and teacher qualifications, as well as prohibiting employment of school-aged children and teenagers.

Governments of various levels are responsible for implementing compulsory education, and they have worked out their own implementing regulations. A check and merit system was established in governments' educational departments, and a supervision system carried out covering educational bodies throughout the country.

3. Enhancing Establishment of Middle Schools

While popularization of primary education is widely carried out in the country, that of compulsory education at junior middle school level has been gradually implemented. Reforms have been made, which include changing the enrollment system for junior middle schools, abolishing the entrance examination for middle school, correcting the old practice based on proportion of students entering schools of a higher grade, and establishing a supervisory and evaluation system for proper implementation of nine-year compulsory education. Local governments have tried their best to improve the educational infrastructure and teachers' quality, thus laying a solid foundation for further development.

4. Deepening Educational Reform

On National Day in 1983, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping wrote words of encouragement for Beijing's Jingshan School, saying, "Education should serve the modernization drive while gearing to the world and future." This provided a guiding principle for working out the future strategy of China's educational development, which means that primary education is the basis for fostering the talent for China's modernization in the 21st century. Since then, a series of reforms have been made to improve the basic education system.

In July 1985, the Teaching Plan for Full-time Primary and Junior Middle Schools (Draft) was made, and in July 1986, the Syllabus of All the Courses Taught in the Full-time Primary and Junior Middle Schools was worked out.

In order to improve moral education in schools, a syllabus for moral education was made by the State Education Commission in the mid-1980s, according to which a series of reforms in the political course were tried in some schools with a new curriculum.

Teaching some working skills was also made compulsory so as to encourage students to love doing labor and learn some necessary skills. Educational authorities also required middle school students do regular social and production work.

The comprehensive and substantial reform of primary and secondary education began around 1980. Since then, the reform has gradually deepened from changing the way of teaching to reforming the curriculum, from changing a single course to reforming the comprehensive teaching philosophy, and from working out short-term teaching plans to creating long-term education blueprints.

Great efforts have been made by the government to improve primary and secondary education in rural, mountainous, pastoral, forest and mining areas, and those where ethnic groups live. By 1998, there were 13,948 senior middle schools in the country, with 9.38 million students. Those in junior middle school totaled 54.5 million, with an enrollment ratio of 87.3 percent. Students in primary schools totaled 139.54 million, with an enrollment rate of 98.9 percent. Junior middle school drop-outs accounted for 3.23 percent of the schooling age population, and those of primary schools 0.93 percent.

According to the Plan for Vigorously Developing Education for the 21st Century in 1999, China will basically realize the nine-year compulsory education and eradicate illiteracy among the young and middle-aged population by early of the 21st century. Programs to improve students' comprehensive quality and train teachers will also be launched soon.