Socio-economic inequality and its impact in ChinaEducation
China is a country that has undergone substantial economic and social change that has created great wealth in urban areas but also lingering rural poverty
According to Statista, in 2022, public spending on education in China reached 3.95 trillion yuan. Although this spend has increase year on year, growth has slowed in the last decade.
The results have been improving and literacy rates for young people are close to 100%. Performance in maths and science is particularly strong. However, the Chinese curriculum is narrower than many other countries and there are considerable urban-rural inequalities in education.
In order to gain access to a senior school or university, student must sit an entrance exam called the “gaokao”. The results of this test determine not only which school or university students may go to but also their prospects for future employment, salary and marriage options. The pressure to do well on this exam is immense as it determines someone’s future to a very big extent.
The Chinese education system, is the world’s largest state-run system. In the last few decades, the quality has improved though investment and reform, but there is a lack of equality better education in urban and rural areas.
Differences between income and education between urban and rural areas in China
Rural areas have around three times lower income levels
Outside of the nine years of compulsory education, families are expected to cover the costs of tuition, textbooks and other education expenses
Rural schools often have a high turnover of newly graduated teachers who are less experience and are paid low salaries
The financial burden causes around 60% of rural students drop out before high school
The Covid-19 pandemic has further widened the rural-urban education gap, with only half of students in rural regions able to access online classes uninterrupted.
