China will not change its education system and will continues to offer 12 years of compulsory schooling to its children, the Ministry of Education said.
Zhou Ji, Minister of Education, said that the central government was "not considering" an extension of compulsory schooling from the current nine years to 12 years. "The word 'compulsory' means everyone is obliged to attend school for 12 years. We have to give everyone equal education opportunities, and we need more time to implement the proposal," Zhou argued.

Advocates of the 12-year education system have said that the additional three years would help ease the job market situation for millions of new entrants. "China can do it (extend the length of compulsory education) now," said Cai Fang, a leading researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "This is not only about helping social welfare but also about reducing the impacts of the financial crisis."

Cai says if the nine-year compulsory education is strictly implemented, with 1.86 million less people entering the job market every year. Cai also says that a 12-year compulsory schooling system would keep more than eight million people in rural areas from the difficult employment market for another year.