Lack of kindergarten places a concern
Beijing should attract social capital into early education and make full use of existing resources to solve the shortage of kindergarten places, which is likely to be exacerbated by China’s universal two-child policy, according to political advisers.
Beijing Municipal Commission of Education statistics show that Beijing has about 1,250 kindergartens. About 850 are supported by the municipal government and can meet only 80 percent of the demand for preschool education.
With the implementation oftheuniversaltwo-childpolicy, more babies are expected to be born annually in the city over the next few years, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning.
This issue raised concerns among members of the Beijing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the top advisory body, during its annual session, which ran from Jan 12 to 17.
Zhu Min, a committee member and principal of the privately owned 21st Century Kindergarten, which has branches in other cities, said the capacity of publicly funded kindergartens is limited and attracting social capital to build more private kindergartens would be helpful.
“However, it still relies on the municipal government to issue preferential policies in order to get private funds on board,” Zhu said.
The government should streamline the complicated procedure of applying for a permit to run a kindergarten, and give private kindergartens discounts on taxes and land rent, particularly in the densely populated downtown area where there is a stronger need for preschool resources, Zhu added.
Li Jianli, another committee member and principal of Mianhua Hutong Kindergarten in Xicheng district, said building more kindergartens to offer more places for children is important, but given the shortage of land in downtown Beijing, making full use of existing resources, such as activity centers for children and young adults, seems a more practical and effective measure.
“Most are occupied only during after-school time, such as on workday evenings or on the weekend, which means they could function as kindergartens the rest of the time,” Li said.
“If the government made minor changes to such facilities to make them more suitable for preschool children, activity centers could be multifunctional.”