The 2012 draft budget of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, has allotted 75.24 million yuan ($11.92 million) to eight kindergartens that admit only officials' children. The amount is 17.7 million yuan more than last year. When most parents are struggling to get their children admitted to kindergartens, some local governments have no right to fund privileged kindergartens with taxpayers' money, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

A few days ago, three central government ministries issued a joint statement saying the government would ban unauthorized collection of kindergarten fees. But the eight kindergartens in Guangzhou which admit only official's children still enjoy State subsidies while the tuition for private kindergartens in Guangdong's eight cities have been climbing up.

The increased subsidies the eight kindergartens in Guangzhou have got will make the public ask whether they should be used for helping certain "privileged" people instead of the entire society. Essentially, the so-called public facilities are actually private plots for a minority, which aggravates the unequal allocation of education resources.

Government departments should maintain social equality in providing subsidies for kindergartens. Or, they should gradually make preschool education a part of compulsory education, instead of favoring privileged kindergartens over private ones. Local officials, who state publicly to strictly follow central policies to promote fair education, should stop their behind-the-scene maneuvering to help their ilk.

To prevent their children from losing at the starting line, many parents send their children to a good kindergarten regardless of the high sponsorship fees. The equality of preschool education is a matter that concerns the entire society, but some local officials refuse to make efforts to bridge the huge gap and have even worsened the situation.

(China Daily 01/12/2012 page9)