179the principles of “properly merge and enlarge school size; identify suitable loca-
tion; optimize resource allocation; invest in condition improvement; admission
assurance; quality upgrading; and community responsiveness”. It set the target of
school reallocation over a period of five years (2002–2006), including reducing
rural primary schools from 33,336 in 2000 to 26,336 in 2006. The average school
size increased from 144 to over 180. The number of rural junior secondary schools
reduced from 2020 in 2000 to 1844 in 2006, and average size increased from 930
to over 1000.
The Several Regulations of Conduct Code on Compulsory Education in 2006
required that all the resources released by efficiency gains should be used to
develop education, particularly the preschool and compulsory”. The Protection
Regulations of Primary and Secondary Schools in 2010 noted that the permission
of County and higher level government was mandatory when the surplus resources
are used in non education fields. 2011, Educational Standards in the Compulsory
Period of Shanxi Province (Trail) made by Shannxi Education department was
issued by the provincial authority. The standards with respects to rural school lay-
out are: 6, 12, 18 or 24 classes for complete primary schools; each class accepts 45
students first and 40 students in the long run; incomplete schools to have at least 4
classes (30 students each one). 12, 18 or 24 classes for junior secondary schools,
each class can have 50 students first and 45 students in the long run. For high pop-
ulation density townships, the number of classes can be enlarged to 30.
To implement the above policies, a large number of complete primary and
incomplete were shut down and/or merged in this province. Yanan city, to which
Ansai is administratively related, initiated the reforms in 2001 and started the pro-
cess of rationalisation by deciding that all the students above grade 3 could attend
the central schools in rural areas. In Ansai the total number of schools fell from
374 to 132 between 1990 and 2008.
These declines in school numbers are reflected in the case study districts. In
Huaziping town the reduction in the number of primary schools was from 40
(1990) to 10 (2009) with half the reduction in the last five years and it is antici-
pated that the remaining incomplete schools will be shut down (Table 8.5).
The school mergers from 2000 in Yanhewan were catalyzed by the new policy
and declining numbers of children. Ten schools became incomplete because their
grades 3–6 were merged into central primary school in 2005; others were merged
later in the decade. The result was the number of primary schools fell from 43
in 1990 to 13 in 2009. Over this period the number of junior secondary schools
remained the same (Table 8.6).
Table 8.5 Number of primary schools in Huaziping Township(1990, 2001/02–2008/09)
1990 2001/02 2003/04 2004/05 2007/08 2008/09
Total^402524191210
Central primary 1 1 1 1 1 1
Complete primary^022000
Incomplete primary^39222118119
8.4 School Location Layout in Rural Areas: Policy ...