CHINESE nurseries will waive fees for final-year children from this autumn, in a phased transition to nationwide free preschooling agreed at this year’s meeting of the National People’s Congress.

All public nurseries will drop the fees for care and teaching, with the aim of nursery care becoming free at the point of use in the same way that schooling is.

Private nurseries will be required to reduce fees by a sum equal to the cost per child paid to public nurseries.

The fees formerly paid by parents will be absorbed partly by the central government and partly by local authorities, with the central government committing to between 50 and 80 per cent depending on the level of a province’s economic development. The subsidies do not cover meals.

The government hopes free nursery care will help make China a “childbearing-friendly society” and, combined with increased child benefit payments,  contribute to raising the birth rate.