我国义务教育贫困学生资助制度分析

An Analysis of Financial Aid System to Compulsory Education Students with Financial Hardship in China

长期以来,我国实施的是收费的义务教育。义务教育收费对贫困家庭,特别是农村贫困家庭造成了很大的经济负担,导致贫困学生因为负担不起入学费用而大量失学。贫困学生资助是收费条件下帮助贫困家庭子女入学的重要措施,但由于义务教育财政责任重心偏低和各级政府责任不明确等原因,义务教育贫困学生资助制度很长时间没有建立起来。本世纪开始,义务教育贫困学生资助制度建设快速推进。2001年《国务院关于基础教育改革与发展的决定》发布,提出对农村义务教育贫困学生减免杂费、书本费,补助寄宿生生活费的"两免一补"政策,奠定了义务教育贫困学生资助制度的基本框架。2005年国务院发布《关于深化农村义务教育经费保障机制改革的通知》,规定到2007年全国农村义务教育学生全部免除学杂费,对贫困家庭学生免费提供教科书,补助贫困寄宿生生活费,标志着义务教育贫困学生资助制度基本建立。但是,义务教育贫困学生资助制度运行中还存在不少问题:资助覆盖面偏小,部分农村儿童和多数进入城市的农村流动儿童没有得到资助;贫困寄宿生生活补助资金没有落实,只有一小部分的贫困学生能得到生活补助。贫困学生甄别困难,资助工作实施难度大,成本高。需要采取教育券等方式给进城的农村流动儿童提供资助,需要对全部学生免除教科书费,地方政府之间需要明确提供贫困寄宿生生活补助资金的责任,以进一步完善义务教育贫困学生资助制度。

China had had a long charging compulsory education. The charging was a heavy burden on poor families, especially rural poor families, and hence a lot of children lost their educational opportunities since they could not afford the expenses. Financial aids to students from poor families are an effective approach to helping them to enroll in schools. So from the beginning of this century, the institutionalization of financial aid system to help such students has been accelerated; and up till 2007 the whole country has established it. But there are still problems in the operation. For example, the coverage is limited; in fact, some poor rural students and most rural migrant students living in urban areas have not obtained the aid. The financing responsibility of subsidizing poor students for their life expense of boarding has not been settled, and only a minority of the poor students has received the support. Moreover, it is difficult to discern poor students, a difficulty that hinders the subsidiary process, and the operation cost of the system is comparatively high. Therefore, reform policies are needed to improve it. In fact, it is possible to issue educational voucher as an aid to the rural migrant students living in urban areas; and it is also affordable for the governments to exempt all rural students from their textbook fees. Furthermore, local governments should shoulder the responsibility for financing poor students the life expense of their boarding.