Abstract:

Both challenges from population aging and low fertility rate and opportunities from labor relocation and human capital accumulation have been revealed by the seventh National Census. Improving public education are inherent requirements of the new population situation. The crux of education supply in China is not only insufficient quantity, but also inefficient distribution that misses changing education demands derived from population migration. Accordingly, education supply must be adjusted based on a deep understanding about China’s spatial economy evolution. On the one hand, because of continuous population agglomeration, education resources in big cities urgently need to be expanded, especially senior high school education supply. On the other hand, while population is contracting to central urban districts in population outflowing regions, the quality of local education supply needs to be enhanced by centralization. From an institutional perspective, the top-level design should focus on reforming local governance and adjusting fiscal arrangements, and thus mobilizes multiple subjects in improving education supply.

Key words: population migration, public education supply, spatial distribution, senior high school education.