Photo: VCG

Parents can be taken to court by the government if they refuse to send their children to school, the Chinese Ministry of Education said on Wednesday, stressing the need for all children to finish the nine-year compulsory education according to law. 

Zheng Fuzhi, vice minister of education, stressed at a press meeting on the implementation of compulsory education that parents or guardians have the obligation and responsibility to send their children to school for nine-year compulsory education, or could face lawsuits if they don't do so. 

Zheng noted that a major part of ensuring the implementation of compulsory education is to have those who drop out or lose the opportunity to receive education to come back to the school, which is a complicated and difficult job that requires experience and hard work. 

Authorities should use different measures to get the students back to school according to various situations, she said.

For students who leave school to go to work, the government should stop this practice at the source by establishing a cross-regional, multi-department mechanism that prohibits businesses from using underage labor, she said. 

Lu Yugang, director of the department of basic education, also pointed out other types of reasons that lead to students dropping out of school, which include physical disability, going to temples for religious reasons and early marriage and childbearing. 

For those who leave schools for temples, the government should strictly prohibit the relevant parties from using religion on minors to interfere with the implementation of the state education system, he said. 

He also noted that authorities should take corresponding measures to address the difficulties faced by physically challenged students based on their needs, such as special education resettlement and education at home.