The Compulsory Education Law in China: Ensuring the Child’s Right to Education and Development

This chapter takes the Compulsory Education Law of the People’s Republic of China as the core research object and systematically analyzes the law’s legislative logic, core content, and practical value in safeguarding children’s right to education. It deeply explains the core connotation of the 9-year compulsory education system and the statutory definition standards for school-age children, clarifying the basic framework for the system’s operation; furthermore, it focuses on deconstructing the collaborative guarantee mechanism involving the four subjects of government, family, school, and society, and clarifies the rights and responsibilities of each subject in the implementation of compulsory education. This chapter focuses on the dual dimensions of rights and responsibilities: this legislation explicitly establishes the statutory status of children as subjects of the right to education. It further methodically articulates the specific norms governing the compulsory education funding guarantee system, as well as the composition and application of its supporting legal liability framework. It comprehensively demonstrates the law’s institutional functions and its practical significance in safeguarding educational equity and protecting children’s fundamental right to education.