Kindergarten students to get more space for development

China plans to officially ban kindergartens from teaching pupils primary school knowledge, a draft law said on Monday.

The draft law on preschool education is being deliberated for the first time at a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. It is the first national law on preschool education and a draft usually become a law after being reviewed by the NPC Standing Committee for three times.

There should be no enrollment test to get into kindergartens, and other than physical check-ups, kindergartens are not allowed to carry out any tests or checks for students, the draft said, adding that the top priority of kindergartens should be to ensure students' safety.

The main activities for preschool pupils are playing games and kindergartens should help students form good morals, habits, safety awareness, and a healthy body, the draft said.

Any person or organization should not ask kindergarten pupils to participate in any competitions that is not in line with their mental and physical development stage, according to the draft.

Family and kindergartens should properly guide pupils to use the internet and control the time they spend on the internet and on electronic devices, it said.

The draft also stipulated that kindergarten teachers should obtain teaching credentials before they assume the post and background and health checks should be conducted before hiring kindergarten teachers.

Those who have a criminal record or history of abuse, sexual assault, violence, drug use, alcoholism, gambling, mental disease and epidemic disease cannot work as kindergarten teachers, the draft added.