China mulls childcare regulations to counter falling birth rates
China is reportedly launching a series of policy measures to regulate childcare services in a bid to fight against sluggish birth rates and rising ageing population
An opinion piece in Beijing’s mouthpiece Ban Yue Tan published last month said it looked forward to a series of policies on childcare services to be implemented in five years’ time, so that young couples would not have to worry about taking care of their children.
Cases of abuse in childcare centers have been brought to light in recent years.
In 2017, leaked video clips showed a female staff member of a Shanghai kindergarten force-feeding a boy with wasabi. The staffer was also seen forcefully wrenching a school bag from a little girl, before pushing the child and hitting her head on the edge of a table.
In 2019, a teacher of a childcare center in Jiangsu that charged HK$16,000 (US$2,059) per month punched a 2-year-old in his face for refusing to have lunch.
Bai Yue Tan’s article said picking a childcare center has long been a major concern of young working parents, who were anxious about the reliability of these centers, apart from the price and quality of services.
The state-owned publication under Xinhua News agency said the idea to impose regulations on childcare centers is clear and relevant policies should be rolled out in coming years.
In face of an ageing population, Chinese authorities have loosened its decades-long one-child policy in recent years in a bid to boost birth rates.
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