The Compulsory Education Law was promulgated in 1986, and amended in 2015 and 2018 respectively. The latest revision entered into force on December 29, 2018.

There are 63 articles in total.

The key points are as follows:

1.The state adopts the system of 9-year compulsory education.(Article 2)

2.The compulsory education is the education which is implemented uniformly by the state and shall be received by all school-age children and adolescents. It is a public welfare cause that shall be guaranteed by the state.(Article 2)

3.No tuition or miscellaneous fee may be charged in the implementation of compulsory education.(Article 2)

4.The parents or other statutory guardians of school-age children and adolescents shall ensure that school-age children and adolescents go to school to receive and complete the compulsory education.(Article 5)

5.Any child who has attained to the age of 6, his (Article her) parents or other statutory guardians shall have him (her) enrolled in school to finish the compulsory education. For the children in those areas where it is not possible, the initial time of schooling may be postponed to 7 years old.(Article 11)

6.The local governments at the county level or above shall, where necessary, set up special education schools (Article classes) so as to provide compulsory education to the school-age children and adolescents who have eyesight, hearing and intellectual problems.(Article 19)

7.The local governments shall, where necessary, set up particular schools to provide compulsory education to the school-age adolescents who committed any severely bad acts.(Article 20)

8 The state shall adopt the textbook examination and approval system. The measures for the examination and approval of textbooks shall be provided for by the education administrative department of the State Council.(Article 39)