Kindergarten is not satisfied with recruitment! China's low birthrate tsunami hits 17 million students in 4 years

Chinese officials confirmed that enrollment in kindergartens, primary schools, and junior high schools dropped by nearly 17 million between 2021 and 2025. (AFP file photo)

First published 11-11 00:15

Update time 11-11 06:57

China's population crisis is causing violent shocks in the education scene! Chinese officials confirmed on the 10th that between 2021 and 2025, enrollment in kindergartens, primary schools, and junior high schools will drop by nearly 17 million. This cliff-like decline has forced the Beijing authorities to make comprehensive adjustments to the education system in a society facing historic population shrinkage.

Bloomberg reported that Huang Weiru, deputy director of the Social Development Department of China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said at a briefing that the government plans to promote small class sizes, reuse idle school facilities, and improve student conditions in high schools and universities. It will also increase the opportunities for migrant workers’ children to enter urban public schools.

Huang Weiru said frankly that many families are facing the dual pressure of taking care of their elderly parents and young children at the same time. "Reducing their pension and childcare burden is our top priority to improve people's livelihood now and in the next few years."

Dissatisfaction with kindergarten enrollment is the latest sign of China's long-running demographic crisis. China's population has been declining for several consecutive years since the total population peaked in 2020. Last year, the birth rate per 1,000 people fell to its lowest point since 1949, while the number of people over 65 years old hit a new high of more than 223 million.

This wave of population squeeze is seriously dragging down China's economy and testing Beijing's ability to mitigate the impact on consumption and investment. The shrinking labor force has placed an increasingly heavy financial burden on pensions and social services, and it has become more difficult for the government to persuade young couples who do not want to have children to have more children.

To this end, Huang Weiru promised to expand affordable elderly care and childcare services in the national five-year plan to 2030, including increasing the proportion of special care beds in nursing homes to 73%, increasing childcare centers in county-level areas, and encouraging employers to provide childcare services. The authorities have allocated 14 billion yuan (approximately NT$69.1 billion) from the central budget this year to subsidize nursing home beds and childcare places, and used ultra-long-term special treasury bonds to purchase 110,000 sets of equipment for public nursing homes.

For low-income and elderly people in need of care, the Chinese government will provide more subsidies and home assistance to expand the "silver economy" that caters to the elderly. Huang Weiru pointed out that the country will provide the elderly with a wider range of consumption choices in tourism, culture and sports, and promote technological applications including brain-computer interfaces and robots.