The amended Compulsory Education Law, which comes into effect Friday (Sep 1st), contains a new provision that ensures the right to education for children of migrant workers no matter where they live.

The provision stipulates that when both parents or legal guardians are migrant workers living and working with their children in locations other than where the family is registered, the local governments where they live and work must provide for the child's education.

By the end of 2004, more than 6.4 million rural children of compulsory education age were living in cities with their parents. Another 22 million rural children remained in their family's rural homes, while their parents worked in cities, according to the Ministry of Education.

Children brought to cities by their migrant parents are often charged school fees that are much higher than those charged by schools in rural areas.

Numerous private schools for migrant children have been established in cities, but they have been constantly attacked for being ill-equipped, and lacking infrastructure and qualified teachers to guarantee the quality of education.

Editor: Donald