Free Preschool Education Policy Set to Benefit 12 Million Pupils

According to a senior finance official, the newly introduced free preschool education policy is projected to positively affect around 12 million pupils starting this autumn term, resulting in savings of 20 billion yuan ($2.8 billion) for families. Guo Tingting, the vice-minister of the Ministry of Finance, announced that this exemption from care and education fees will apply to every child in their final year of kindergarten, without regard to whether they attend public or private institutions, or if they reside in urban or rural areas.

The fee exemption will align with the standard costs recognized for public kindergartens. In cases where private kindergartens charge higher fees than local public institutions, they are permitted to collect the difference from parents. For example, if the set fee for public kindergartens is 500 yuan per month and a private kindergarten charges 800 yuan, families with children in public kindergartens will not incur any fees for the upcoming semester, while those in private schools will have to pay the additional 300 yuan monthly.

80% of the costs will be covered by the central government in western areas, decreasing to 60% in central regions and 50% in the east, while local governments will fund the remainder.

Guo assured that the Ministry of Finance will carefully oversee the rollout of this policy. Adjustments to the free preschool education initiative will be made in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, taking into account variations in kindergarten enrollment and government funding, with the intention of expanding the coverage to include more children in the future.