Private kindergartens won't go away; they'll be supported, official says

Private kindergartens will continue to play an important role in China's preschool education system, and the government will continue to provide active support for the sector, an education official said recently.

In January, a notice issued by the State Council said existing private kindergartens in urban communities should be handed over to local education authorities and be turned into public kindergartens or less expensive private ones.

That has been misinterpreted as meaning private kindergartens will effectively no longer exist, according to an official at the Ministry of Education, adding that the government will continue to increase subsidies for them.