It is also compulsory education, but the quality of education received by a rural child and an urban child is quite different. There is also a big gap between the education of students in ordinary schools and those in key schools. This inequality in the quality of the right to education will inevitably affect the future development of children, and even affect their life prospects. Its essence is the inequality of people's right to development. The reason for this inequality is directly related to the unbalanced investment in people, money and materials between compulsory schools in the past few decades.

As the responsible person of compulsory education, the government has the responsibility and obligation to provide citizens with equal education in quantity and quality. After basically realizing the "nine-year consistent system", the key point is to let every student enjoy compulsory education with little difference in quality. To this end, in order to make compulsory education schools develop in a balanced way, we can no longer favor one over the other and artificially widen the gap.

The present situation of compulsory education is a bit like the "Matthew effect" mentioned in the Bible: the more you pay, the less you get. Those schools that have always been optimistic in the past certainly have inherent advantages and the help of market mechanisms. School selection fees and various donations make it rich, and students flock to enjoy the advantages of students. It is difficult for ordinary schools to compete with it. The gap between "strong groups" and "difficult groups" in compulsory education schools is even greater. Even in some poor areas, teachers and students are seriously drained and schools are on the verge of extinction.

Faced with this situation, if the government does not have strong policies and measures to support the "vulnerable groups" in compulsory education, it will be difficult to fundamentally change their weak position in the competition, and it will be difficult to implement citizens' equal right to compulsory education.

Looking at the situation in recent years, despite repeated orders from the Ministry of Education, junior high school students are "enrolled nearby", and students are not allowed to be selected through written examinations, and arbitrary charges are not allowed. In recent years, the unified management of teachers' salaries at the county level has been implemented, and some results have been achieved, but many things are still beyond the reach, and good policies have been "adapted" at the local level. Such as replacing "examination" with "interview", legalizing high-priced students in the name of "public assistance and private assistance" and so on. Some local officials still attach importance to window schools and key schools, and their policies, measures and methods are still tilted towards these schools. "icing on the cake" is more than "giving charcoal in the snow", which leads to the growing Matthew effect.

With the popularization of compulsory education, should it be "icing on the cake" or "sending charcoal in the snow"? It's time for us to think about it!

(Recommended from China Youth Daily on June 24, 2002 +065438)

Editor: Zi Chou