China contemplates parenting guidance plan

BEIJING - China is considering legislation on family education to guide parents and prevent child abuse, the All-China Women's Federation announced on Monday.

A draft of proposal on family education is expected this year and will be put to the legislative commission of the National People's Congress, China's supreme legislative body, said the announcement.

Statistics show over half of "problem" children come from "troubled" homes, according to You Tao, chief judge of the juvenile judicial tribunal with Beijing district court.

"Many parents only care about the school records of their children, scarcely paying any attention to their behavior," said Li Weihua, a teacher at Beijing's Caihefang primary school.

The school frequently tries to contact parents to offer suggestions on family education, but the advice often falls on deaf ears as parents claim to be "too busy", Li added.

Several years ago, some pilot programs on parental education guidance were launched in places such as south China's Yunnan province, but were halted for lack of legal basis.

"The Chinese people regard family education as a household affair which allows no external interference", said Lin Jianjun, dean of the law school with China Women's University (CWU), "but in modern times, the state should play a more active role."

Providing some guidance does not mean to control the family life, Lin said. Professional knowledge must guarantee the quality of family education and reduce parenting mistakes.

China issued an outline of national plan for medium and long-term education reform and development in 2010 which explicitly required legislation on home education, said Li Mingshun, head of the drafting team and vice president of CWU.