China's ‘no test-exam’ preschool plan amid flagging birth rate

Under the plan, children applying for preschool places should not be subject “to any form of examination.”

Chinese lawmakers submitted a draft law aimed at making preschools more accessible and affordable as Beijing's drive to encourage people to have more children following the first population drop in six decades continues. The draft Preschool Education Law includes measures to curb excessive profit-seeking by preschool providers, state-backed China news service reported.

Commuters wearing face masks ride a subway train. (Reuters)

Under the plan, children applying for preschool places should not be subject "to any form of examination or testing except for necessary physical examinations," Xinhua news agency reported.

Playing must be prioritised while teaching of any primary school materials during kindergarten is banned, the report claimed. Education minister Huai Jinpeng said the development of the sector remains "unbalanced and insufficient" with many people finding it difficult to enter preschools due to high expense and concerns about quality, Xinhua reported. The draft preschool law will now be reviewed by the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

This comes as China's fertility rate is estimated to have dropped to a record low of 1.09 in 2022- one of the world's lowest alongside South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Experts believe that high childcare costs and the need to pause careers have put many Chinese women off having more children or any at all as gender discrimination and traditional stereotypes of women caring for children are still widespread in the country.

Owing to this, Beijing has been concerned about its rapidly ageing population as it urgently tries an array of measures to lift the birth rate, including financial incentives and improved childcare facilities.