Abstract:

Building an education powerhouse lies in basic education. Through a longitudinal historical review and cross-national comparisons, this study finds that China’s basic education system has evolved over the past century, following a trajectory from imitation to exploration and ultimately to stabilization. International comparisons indicate that the development trends in basic education systems worldwide include shortening the duration of primary education, extending the period of compulsory education, strengthening the articulation between educational stages, adopting multi-track systems, increasing flexibility in education system, and incorporating pre-vocational training. Currently, China’s education system still faces issues such as excessive segmentation of educational stages, the incomplete alignment of compulsory education with the basic education system, and insufficient articulation between educational stages. To address these challenges, this study suggests that the reform of the basic education system should adhere to principles that align with students’ physical and mental development, fulfill the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, serve the strategic needs of the nation, and adapt to the advancements of the artificial intelligence era. As a reform proposal, the study advocates for the adoption of a “5+5(+2)” or “10(+2)” education system. This model reduces the current twelve-year duration of basic education to ten years, extends the nine-year compulsory education period to cover the entire basic education system, and incorporates a two-year non-compulsory transition period to guide students in exploring their future careers. This approach aims to enhance educational efficiency and quality, thereby meeting societal demands for high-caliber talent.

Key words: basic education, school system reform, educational power, compulsory education