(1Adopted at the Fourth Session of the Sixth National People's Congress on April 6, 986)

Promulgated by Decree No.38 of the President of the People's Republic of China

Since 1 July 19861)

Article 1 In order to develop basic education and promote the construction of socialist material civilization and spiritual civilization, this Law is formulated in accordance with the Constitution and the actual situation in China.

Article 2 The state practices nine-year compulsory education. Provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall determine the steps to implement compulsory education according to the economic and cultural development of their respective regions.

Article 3 Compulsory education must implement the educational policy of the state, strive to improve the quality of education, enable children and adolescents to develop morally, intellectually and physically in an all-round way, and lay a foundation for improving the quality of the whole nation and cultivating talents with ideals, morality, culture and discipline for socialist construction.

Article 4 The state, society, schools and families shall protect the right of school-age children and adolescents to receive compulsory education according to law.

Article 5 All children who have reached the age of six, regardless of sex, nationality or race, should attend school and receive compulsory education for a certain period of time. In areas where conditions are not met, enrollment can be postponed until the age of seven.

Article 6 Schools should promote the use of Putonghua, which is commonly used throughout the country. Schools that mainly recruit ethnic minority students can teach in the language commonly used by ethnic minorities.

Article 7 Compulsory education is divided into two stages: primary education and junior secondary education. Popularize primary and secondary education on the basis of universal primary education. The educational system of primary education and junior secondary education shall be formulated by the education authorities of the State Council.

Eighth compulsory education under the leadership of the State Council, the implementation of local responsibility, hierarchical management. According to the needs of socialist modernization and the physical and mental development of children and adolescents, the education authorities in the State Council have determined the teaching system, teaching content and curriculum of compulsory education and revised textbooks.

Article 9 Local people's governments at all levels shall reasonably set up primary schools and junior secondary schools so that children and adolescents can enter schools nearby. Local people's governments at all levels set up special education schools (classes) for blind, deaf-mute and mentally retarded children and adolescents. The state encourages enterprises, institutions and other social forces to establish schools of various types as stipulated in this Law under the unified management of the local people's government in accordance with the basic conditions stipulated by the state. Urban and rural construction and development planning must include corresponding compulsory education facilities.

Article 10 The state exempts students who receive compulsory education from tuition fees. The state sets up grants to help poor students go to school.

Eleventh parents or other guardians must make school-age children and adolescents enter school on time and receive compulsory education for a specified number of years. If school-age children and adolescents need to be postponed or exempted from school due to illness or special circumstances, their parents or other guardians shall apply for approval by the local people's government. It is forbidden for any organization or individual to recruit school-age children and adolescents who should receive compulsory education for employment.

Twelfth the State Council and local people's governments at all levels are responsible for raising and ensuring the necessary funds for compulsory education and capital construction investment. The growth ratio of the state's financial allocation for compulsory education should be higher than the growth ratio of the recurrent financial revenue, and the average education expenditure should be gradually increased according to the number of students in school. Local people's governments at all levels, in accordance with the provisions of the State Council, levy additional education fees in urban and rural areas, mainly for the implementation of compulsory education. The state subsidizes the funds for compulsory education in economically disadvantaged areas. The state encourages all kinds of social forces and individuals to donate money for education voluntarily. The state helps ethnic minority areas to implement compulsory education in terms of teachers and funds.

Article 13 The state shall take measures to strengthen and develop normal education, speed up the training of teachers, and realize the graduation of primary school teachers from secondary normal schools and junior high school teachers from higher normal schools in a planned way. The state establishes a teacher qualification examination system and issues qualification certificates to qualified teachers. Normal college graduates must engage in education in accordance with the regulations. The state encourages teachers to engage in educational work for a long time.

Article 14 The whole society should respect teachers. The state protects the legitimate rights and interests of teachers, takes measures to improve their social status, improves their material treatment and rewards outstanding teachers. Teachers should love socialist education, strive to improve their ideological, cultural and professional level, love students and be loyal to their duties.

Fifteenth local people's governments at all levels must create conditions for school-age children and adolescents to receive compulsory education. Unless approved by the local people's government due to illness or special circumstances, if school-age children and adolescents do not attend school to receive compulsory education, the local people's government shall criticize and educate their parents or other guardians, and take effective measures to order them to send their children or ward to school. Organizations or individuals that recruit school-age children and adolescents for employment shall be criticized and educated by the local people's government and ordered to stop recruiting; If the circumstances are serious, you may also be fined, ordered to suspend business or revoke your business license.

Article 16 No organization or individual may occupy, deduct or misappropriate funds for compulsory education, disturb the teaching order, or occupy or destroy school buildings, houses and equipment. Insulting, beating teachers and corporal punishment of students are prohibited. Religious activities that hinder the implementation of compulsory education shall not be used. In violation of the provisions of the first and second paragraphs, administrative sanctions and administrative penalties shall be given respectively according to different situations; Causing losses, shall be ordered to compensate for the losses; If the circumstances are serious enough to constitute a crime, criminal responsibility shall be investigated according to law.

Article 17 The competent department of education in the State Council shall formulate detailed rules for implementation according to this Law, which shall be implemented after being submitted to the State Council for approval. The standing committees of the people's congresses of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government may, in accordance with this Law and in light of local conditions, formulate specific implementation measures.

Article 18 This Law shall come into force as of 1 July 19861day.