Schools across China will soon not only shoulder the responsibility of educating children, but will also take on the task of educating children's parents, according to a five-year plan for family education.
The new program will be instituted by 2020, and the coverage rate of these classes in urban areas will be at least 90 percent. In rural areas, the rate will not fall below 80 percent. Parenting education will also become a focus of work at public service centers, which will be required to organize no less than two parenting courses and two additional "practical activities" every year.
Primary and high schools will organize at least one parenting course every year, along with one family practice session; for kindergarten, two parent-child activities should be organized, in addition to parenting courses. Vocational schools have also been instructed to hold at least one parenting course.
The five-year plan for family education was jointly issued by the Ministries of Education, Civil Affairs and Culture, along with other government bodies such as the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television and the China Association for Science and Technology.
