According international human rights law, primary education should be compulsory and free of charge.
Free primary education is fundamental in guaranteeing everyone has to utilize to education. However, in many developing countries , families do not afford to send their children to school, living millions of children to school- age deprived for education. Not international obligations, some states keep on imposing fees to access primary education. In addition, there are indirect costs associated with the education., such as for school books , uniforms, the travel, that prevent children from low income families accessing school.
If a state is not able to secure compulsory primary education, free charge when it is ratifies the International Convenient on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR, Article) , it still has the immediate obligation, within two years, to work with and adopt a detailed plan of the action for the progressive implementation.
`Progressive introduction of free education means that while states must prioritize the provision of the free primary education, they also have an to take concrete steps to achieve free secondary and higher education.
Whereas student in urban areas receive free education, student in rural regions, who can least afford expense, they have to pay for education. The widening gap in educational standards and opportunities between rich and the poor has a group of developing academics and officials to question how the government is spent 1percent of GDP allowed for education. 60 percent of China`s population live in the rural areas, they get less than a quarter of the total funds of the government. As the former head of the Education Commission of Human Province commented, a lack of education is the starting of a vicious circle that leads to social inequity and also traps people in poverty. In addition to the disparities and inequalities of the basic education system, the reform of China`s higher education system directed at mass education. in the last decade is said to be flopped.