By Liu Jinsong (劉金松)
Economic Observer Online
Oct 25, 2011
Translated by Song Chunling
Original Article: [Chinese]
Fifteen famous scholars from mainland China have signed a document calling on China's central government to change existing regulations so that high school students will be permitted to sit university entrance examinations in areas other than where they are officially registered.
The scholars say that the current rules discriminate against the children of the many millions of people who have travelled to other areas of the country to work and urge the State Council to look into the issue of whether the rules are in keeping with articles 33 and 46 of the country's constitution.
The document "A Proposal to the State Council to Investigate and Modify the Regulations on the Administration of New Students by the Higher Education Institutes" (關(guān)于提請國務(wù)院審查并修改教育部《普通高等學(xué)校招生工作規(guī)定》的建議) was officially published on Oct 23 and is personally addressed to Premier Wen Jiabao in his position as the head of China's State Council.
According to the suggestions, "Residence registration restrictions should be stopped for the university entrance exam and
administration policies, so that migrant children can take the university entrance exam in the places where they enrolled to study."
With the large movements in population that have taken place in China in recent decades, the education of the children of the migrant workers has become a major social issue.
Although many local governments have allowed the children of migrant workers to study in their jurisdictions, there is a rule that says all students should take the university entrance exam in the area where they are officially registered, so many of these children are forced to leave their parents and return to the place where they are registered.
The document urged the State Council to look to see whether the current regulations that were introduced by the Ministry of Education are in keeping with Article 33 and Article 44 of China's constitution. Article 33 outlines the principle of equality and Article 46 describes the right of Chinese citizens to receive and an education. The proposal also urges the State Council to consider the legalility and rationality of the existing rules.
If the suggestions were to be accepted and the current restrictions removed, cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai could face a sharp increase in the demand for education resources as they are home to large migrant worker populations.
Any changes to the current regulations might also require the introduction of measures to standardize the university entrance exam across the countty.
According to a report published by the All-China Women's Federation in 2007, there were 58 million "left-behind" children in China, that is at least one of their parents had left home to seek work.
The Fifteen Scholars:
Guo Daohui - Professor at China Law Society
郭道暉：中國法學(xué)會教授
Xiong Wenzhao Professor at Minzu University's School of Law
熊文釗：中央民族大學(xué)法學(xué)院教授
Zhu Yingping - Professor at East China's Politics and Law University's School of Law
朱應(yīng)平：華東政法大學(xué)法學(xué)院教授
He Haibo - Professor at Tsinghua University's School of Law
何海波：清華大學(xué)法學(xué)院教授
Qu Xiangfei - Assistant Researcher at China Academy of Social Sciences' (CASS) International Law Research Institute
曲相霏：中國社會科學(xué)院國際法研究所副研究員
Liu Xiaonan - Associate Professor at China University of Political Science and Law's School of Law
劉小楠：中國政法大學(xué)法學(xué)院副教授
Liu Lianjun - Associate Professor at Hangzhou Normal University's School of Law
劉練軍：杭州師范大學(xué)法學(xué)院副教授
Li Zhongxia - Associate Professor at Shandong University at School of Law
李忠夏：山東大學(xué)法學(xué)院副教授
Xiong Wei - Director, Institute for Citizen Participation in Legislation
熊偉：北京新啟蒙公民參與立法研究所主任
Lu Jun - Coordinator of the Bejing Yirenping Center
陸軍：北京益仁平中心總協(xié)調(diào)人
Li Fangping - Lawyer with the Beijing Ruifeng Law Firm
李方平：北京瑞風(fēng)律師事務(wù)所律師
Chang Boyang - Lawyer with the Henan Yatairen Law Firm
常伯陽：河南亞太人律師事務(wù)所律師
Yang Shijian - Teacher at Henan's Shangqiu Normal College
楊世建：河南商丘師范學(xué)院教師
Xu Zhiyong - Teacher at Beijing Post and Telecommunications University's Law Department
許志永：北京郵電大學(xué)法律系教師
Zhang Qianfan - Professor at Peking University Law School
張千帆：北京大學(xué)法學(xué)院教授
Links and Sources
Xu Zhiyong's Blog: Full Text of letter (Chinese)
Baidu: 留守兒童
