Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), presides over the first plenary meeting of the 12th session of the 14th Standing Committee of the NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, November 4 2024. Photo: Xinhua

The Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, began its 12th session in Beijing on Monday, with lawmakers considering a series of bills, including a draft education law preschool and a draft revision of the law on child protection. Cultural relics, according to the Xinhua news agency on Monday.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, chaired the first plenary meeting of the session, Xinhua reported. The session is expected to last until Friday.

Among the bills under consideration, the one on preschool education aims to strengthen the rights of preschool children and ensure their safety, said Huang Haihua, spokesperson for the Committee’s Legislative Affairs Committee. permanent representative of the APN, during a press conference on November 1.

Huang noted that the bill’s revised provisions require special consideration for preschool children with special needs, such as those with specific health conditions.

To further protect children’s rights, the draft requires kindergartens and other educational institutions to handle children’s personal information responsibly, ensuring that their privacy and reputation are protected, according to Huang. Huang said the project sets regulations to ensure food safety in kindergartens and strengthen security in surrounding areas.

The revision of the draft law on preschool education is of paramount importance. This can help alleviate the burden faced by young families in terms of childbirth and child rearing, by promoting diversified preschool education services and encouraging the participation of various social entities to improve the parenting environment, said Zhang Shuhua, director of the Institute of Political Science of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday.

Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, told the Global Times that the project is important because it can strengthen support for preschool education and regulate the operation of kindergartens.

Lawmakers also deliberated on a draft amendment to the Law on Deputies of the National People’s Congress and local people’s congresses at different levels, as well as other draft revisions to the law.

The draft amendment to the Law on Deputies was submitted for its first review at the 12th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th NPC on Monday, marking the fourth amendment to the law since its promulgation in 1992, according to Xinhua.

This includes strengthening regulations for capacity building of deputies of the People’s Congress, improving the mechanism for handling deputies’ proposals and suggestions, as well as regulations for supervision and management of deputies’ performance, according to Huang .