Recently, it was announced that kindergartens affiliated with government organs in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province are going to open their doors to the public, gaining many people's attention.

Elvira, my neighbor, a 30-year-old mother of a 2-year-old girl, has been looking for a good kindergarten since her daughter was six months old, and she has come to my door countless times, asking for advice on choosing the right kindergarten.

I am a kindergarten teacher. I used to work in an affiliated kindergarten for 18 years and now I teach at a non-governmental kindergarten, where I have been for 15 years.

Traditionally, affiliated kindergartens are the first choice for parents who want to give their children a head start.

Let's take Elvira as an example. Like many others, she believes that affiliated kindergartens are far superior because they are State-sponsored, and equipped with better facilities and better faculty. However, what outrages the public most is that not all children have equal access to affiliated kindergartens. 

Affiliated kindergartens are expressly for the children of government employees. Even if they allow other students in, access is restricted to the wealthy and privileged. In addition to tuition and other expenses, parents have to pay sponsorship fees, which frequently range around several hundred thousand yuan. For ordinary families, parents would be under a huge financial strain after forking that over.

It is distressing that many Chinese have to suffer social inequality from childhood. Those affiliated kindergartens rely on public funds, but they only benefit a small but specific group, the officials. This phenomenon can only serve to build tension between the public and officials.   

Kids at affiliated kindergartens share the same background and upbringing. They lack the opportunity to get to know kids with different backgrounds and develop broader social skills and world views, which can help them better adapt to society later on. This is not very good for their personal development.

Worse, they may form a sense of superiority from an early age. China has already seen an increased number of tragedies caused by the so-called second official generation's arrogance and irresponsible behavior, such as killing people in drunken driving accidents.  

In fact, as a teacher with experience in both affiliated and non-governmental kindergartens, I have to say that affiliated kindergartens are not necessarily the best choice for everyone.

What concerns parents most is the quality of education. While affiliated kindergartens are certainly equipped with better facilities, I personally think teachers in non-governmental kindergartens have better skills. When I worked in the affiliated kindergarten, teachers merely told the same stories to children and played the same games with children. But in the non-governmental kindergarten, the teachers engage the children more.

Of course, I am not saying that parents should stop demanding that affiliated kindergartens be open to everyone. This is important for education and social equality. Also, if affiliated kindergartens were to equally compete with non-governmental kindergartens for students from all groups in society, this change could stimulate competition among teachers in affiliated kindergartens and push them to improve their methods.

Back to the new policy in Guangzhou. I am actually in favor of it. Every child should have equal access to a quality education. The money provided by taxpayers should be equally distributed to every kindergarten to guarantee a balanced and equal education for all children, whether affiliated or not.

This new policy has brought attention to a new social priority: equality in education. Although we still have a long way to go, we have made an important step in that direction.

The author is a kindergarten teacher in Zigong, Sichuan Province. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn