Regulating low-cost private schools for poor migrant children in China: standardisation or stratification?

ABSTRACT

China has been experiencing large-scale rural-to-urban migration since the 1980s. However, numerous rural migrant children could not enrol into urban public schools because of the household registration restriction. This study focused on the role of low-cost private schools that provide migrant children in the cities with basic education. Based on fieldwork from seven schools and interviews with 20 migrants, this study aimed to uncover the effects of strict regulations on rural migrant children’s educational opportunities, from the perspectives of migrant parents, teachers, and school administrators. The results reveal improvement in school quality through government support; however, enrolment quotas under the “points system” still harm children’s educational access. This study suggests that low-cost private schools for rural migrant children in Chinese cities are becoming instruments of social stratification and reproduction in policy and practice.

KEYWORDS:

• China
• low-cost private schools
• rural migrant children
• school improvement
• stratification

Acknowledgements

The author thanks the school principals, teachers, students, and parents who shared their stories and made this research possible. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author only.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.