Compulsory education is a national education that school-age children and adolescents must accept according to law and is guaranteed by the state, society and family. Its essence is a system of compulsory education for school-age children and adolescents for a certain period of time in accordance with the provisions of the law.

Second, the characteristics:

Universality and compulsion.

1, universality means that the object of compulsory education is school-age children in the whole society, regardless of nationality, race, social status and wealth; All school-age children, regardless of gender, enjoy and implement compulsory education unconditionally.

2. Compulsory education refers to the education that school-age children must receive according to law, which embodies the will of the state and guarantees the common interests and requirements of all citizens. Therefore, compulsion is another feature of compulsory education.

Its essence is a system of compulsory education for school-age children and adolescents for a certain period of time in accordance with the provisions of the law. Compulsory education is also called compulsory education and free compulsory education. Compulsory education has the basic characteristics of compulsory, free, universal and secular.

During the Republic of China, it was generally believed that the illiteracy rate was 80%. For example, Chairman Mao put forward in his report 1945 "On Coalition Government": "It is an important task for the new China to eliminate illiteracy among 80% of the population." Just after the founding of New China, the central leadership has reached the education level of developed countries in one step, which reflects the firm belief that no matter how poor the country is, it cannot be poor in education.