In China, the current basic education includes preschool education (generally 3 to 5 years old), compulsory education (generally 6 to 15 years old), high school education (generally 16 to 19 years old) and literacy education. It covers compulsory education in primary schools and junior high schools, and has the characteristics of universality, publicity and compulsion. It is a compulsory education for all school-age children and adolescents and a public welfare undertaking that the state must guarantee.

Basic education Basic education is a dynamic concept. At present, the de facto basic education in China refers to all forms of education before junior high school (including junior high school). In a narrow sense, it refers to nine-year compulsory education. In a broad sense, it should also include family education (abbreviated as tutor) and necessary social life knowledge education. Some people classify high school education as basic education, but this type of education has not been popularized in China at present, so in fact, high school education is not basic education. With the development of China, it is estimated that by 2020, high school education will be basically popularized.

1977, UNESCO held a seminar for senior education planning officials in Nairobi, Kenya, and conducted extensive and in-depth discussions on basic education, holding that "basic education is an education that provides and shares the minimum knowledge, viewpoints, social norms and experiences for everyone". "Its purpose is to enable everyone to give full play to their potential, creativity and critical spirit, so as to realize their ambitions and obtain happiness, become beneficial citizens and producers, and make contributions to the social development to which they belong". Basic education is an important part of the whole education system. Just like high-rise buildings rising from the ground, without good basic education, there can be no excellent higher education.