After allegations of child abuse at a Beijing kindergarten struck fear into parents nationwide, the education supervision committee office of the State Council has issued a notice that requires lower government departments both to inspect kindergartens and to dispatch inspection teams to conduct spot checks, said Vice Education Minister Tian Xuejing at a press conference in Beijing on November 30.
The alleged child abuse case reflects that the underdeveloped state of the early education sector in China lags behind people’s high demands, and the Ministry of Education (MoE) will take specific steps to make new progress in preschool education, he told the conference.
“The Ministry will first give equal importance to the growth and quality of preschool education and push local goverments to implement the third stage of the preschool education action plan, trying to increase supply,” he said. “And there will be enforceable measures to strengthen the supervision of kindergarten management.
Equally important is that “the qualification entry system for kindergarten teachers will be further improved to guarantee the quality of teachers,” he added. The MoE is also considering developing a code of conduct for teachers to raise their legal awareness, and will push for a law on preschool education. Research and investigation into this has begun, Tian said.
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