In January 2021, the Chengdu Municipal Education Bureau issued the “Notice on Enrollment for Compulsory Education,” becoming the first in the country to explicitly allow “younger siblings to attend the same school as their older siblings.” The policy enables parents to apply for their children to attend the same school if multiple children might be assigned to different schools due to computer-based random admissions in multi-school zoning. This minor adjustment and micro-reform aims to reduce the educational burden on families and effectively address pressing issues such as multiple children attending the same school.
Chengdu’s innovative approach gained recognition at the national level. In 2023, the Ministry of Education officially promoted Chengdu’s experience nationwide. In recent years, many regions have introduced similar policies.
Exploring Twin (Multiple) Birth “Binding Enrollment”
In 2019, Chengdu fully implemented the policy allowing “parents to voluntarily apply for twin (multiple) children to be bound together in computer-based random admissions” during compulsory education enrollment. This ensures that twin (multiple) children can attend the same school without being affected by random admissions, effectively solving the transportation challenges for families with twins (multiples) and receiving strong support from parents.
Exploring Multi-Child “Siblings Attending Same School”
In January 2021, building on the twin (multiple) binding enrollment policy, Chengdu explored the “siblings attending same school” approach. This policy covers both public and private schools and applies to all permanent residents, allowing both local children and migrant children to apply. It effectively addresses transportation challenges, alleviates parental concerns, and reduces family burdens.
