A new round of argument has erupted as education authorities in Beijing and Guangdong Province continue to bar non-local hukou (household registration) holders from attending the 2013 college entrance examinations, despite the central government's order that all provinces and municipalities should lay out a plan by the end of this year to solve the problem.
According to a Xinhua report on Monday, the Ministry of Education vowed to gather all resources to "fight the tough battle" over the gaokao for non-local teenagers. The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China called for educational equality.
Public outcry over this issue has grown in recent years, as most cities only allow students with local hukou to attend the gaokao, and children who move to new schools after migrating with their parents have to go back to their birthplace to take the exam.
In September, the Ministry of Education set a deadline of the end of this year for all local education authorities to develop examination policies "based on their own situation."
Some provinces, such as Heilongjiang and Anhui, have broadened their examination access for 2013. However, Guangdong and Beijing said last week they are working on a policy but details cannot be revealed now.
Migrant parents who have been eagerly waiting for a policy change are in despair now, as their children still have no chance to take the gaokao in Beijing or Shanghai next year.
The minimum scores needed to attend top universities are far lower in Beijing and Shanghai. This imposes a huge disadvantage on migrant students.
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