Opinion: China’s Cities Need Classrooms for Every Migrant Child

1. China's State Council has issued the "Implementation Opinions on Providing Basic Public Services in Places of Permanent Residence," the first national-level document to focus on delivering basic public services based on where people live rather than their household registration (hukou) [para. 1].

2. The document states that delinking basic public services from hukou “is conducive to meeting the people’s growing needs for a better life and is of great significance for improving the quality of urbanization, unlocking the potential of domestic demand, and building a new development pattern” [para. 2].

3. The first key task outlined is strengthening educational protection for children who accompany migrant families, an issue affecting tens of millions of households and a longstanding public concern [para. 3].

4. Education for migrant children is the central worry for mobile families and a key measure of their integration into cities. Providing fair schooling for these children has been a consistent national goal, with steady progress. In 2023, the general offices of the Communist Party Central Committee and the State Council issued opinions calling for enrollment guarantees based on residence permits and bringing migrant children into the compulsory-education system of destination cities, with public schools as the main providers [para. 4][para. 5].

5. In 2025, further opinions were released urging cities with large population inflows to formulate “one city, one policy” plans for providing basic public services in places of permanent residence, helping eligible rural migrants enjoy the same rights as those with local household registration [para. 6].

6. According to the Ministry of Education, more than 95% of the children of migrant workers in cities attended public schools in 2023. By 2025, more than 97% of migrant children were studying either in public schools or in schools receiving government subsidies, up 11.2 percentage points from 2020—significant progress [para. 7].

7. Talent is the foremost resource, and schooling is often the deciding question for migrant families. Shenzhen offers a useful example: its population rose by 586,700 over three years (3.32% increase), ranking first among large and medium-size cities. The slogan “Once you come, you are a Shenzhener” and the city’s policy on compulsory education for children without local hukou have helped sustain its vitality [para. 8].

8. The task now is to keep raising the level of protection. The State Council guidelines call for increasing the share of migrant children attending public junior high schools, requiring nine-year schools to treat migrant children equally with locally registered students, and including migrant children in preschool and senior secondary education services in their places of permanent residence [para. 9].

9. The document also requires city governments receiving large numbers of school-age children to better tap existing school-seat resources, add seats as needed, and consolidate gains in the share of migrant children attending public compulsory-education schools. Where public seats cannot yet be guaranteed, local governments must purchase seats and reduce the education burden on migrant families [para. 10].

10. Achieving these goals will require better student data, more school capacity, stronger fiscal support, and closer coordination among agencies. The goal should be that every child can study with peace of mind near his or her parents [para. 11].

11. Supply is only half the challenge; migrant children also need a less cumbersome enrollment process. At a State Council policy briefing on May 26, an education ministry official said procedures would be simplified to make enrollment “more convenient.” The ministry also launched a special campaign for transparent admissions, urging localities to base compulsory-education admission policies for migrant children mainly on residence permits [para. 12][para. 13].

12. As these measures take effect, the education of migrant children should take another important step forward [para. 14].

13. Educational fairness is an essential foundation of social fairness. After the release of the new guidelines, local governments should put people first, uphold equity in education, and adapt implementation to local conditions. If cities make it possible and easier for migrant children to attend school, they will gain not only classrooms filled with students but communities filled with promise, enabling cities and workers to rise together [para. 15].