Compulsory parental education project hailed a success

China’s first pilot programme for compulsory parental education has helped various families since its debut in 2016, reports the Huaxi City Daily.

A mandatory parental education lecture is held in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province. [File Photo: cdxdjcy.gov.cn]

Initiated by procurators in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, the project “forces the parents of juveniles involved in crimes to accept professional educational instructions,” according to Yang Chunxi, deputy chief of a local procuratorate.

So far, a total of 128 courses have been offered to parents of 176 young offenders and 11 under-age victims.

“In one outstanding example, the parents of a minor restored their marriage after taking the parental education courses. That child then went on to pass the national college entrance exam,” said Yang Chunxi.

Parents who don’t attend the mandatory parental education lectures may be put into detention.

“It is an attempt to bring public intervention to family guardianships,” added Yang.

Under-age crimes are a long-running concern in China.

Statistics show that since 2014, over 40% of young offenders and victims in the Chengdu area were from single-parent families, step-families or families going through a divorce.

The same stats suggest close to 80% of the young offenders and victims were either over-indulged or mistreated by their parents.