A Comparative Study On The Welfare Of Preschool Education In BRICS Countries And Implications For China

Countries around the world have placed unprecedented importance on children’s welfare in order to achieve inclusive and equitable quality education for all,and preschool education welfare has become an important issue in global education reform.There is a strong focus on child-centered,evidence-based comparative research to evaluate the viability of inter-country migration of related policies,even though the scope,type,and resource allocation of preschool education welfare differ across countries.In the setting of the overall child welfare system’s transformation,China’s preschool education welfare has also accelerated from a passive and responsive gap-filling welfare to an active and complete inclusive welfare.As China’s preschool education welfare is still in its infancy,its development confronts both familiar and novel challenges,and the BRICS countries provide us with a valuable perspective that has long been overlooked.A comparison of the BRICS nations,which share a similar economic background and development challenges,can serve as a guide for creating a preschool education welfare system with Chinese traits.To explain the evolution of preschool education welfare in BRICS countries(Brazil,Russia,India,and South Africa),this article uses the development history and significant changes of preschool education welfare in BRICS countries.Based on the theoretical framework of Gilbert’s social welfare policy,the preschool education welfare in BRICS countries is sorted out and compared from four aspects: distribution basis,supply pattern,delivery strategy,and financing method.Four key questions are attempted to be clarified: Who benefits from preschool education welfare in the BRICS countries? What kind of preschool education welfare are provided in the BRICS countries? Who provides preschool education welfare in the BRICS countries? How do BRICS countries fund preschool education welfare? Through the literature research method and comparative research method,it is found thatthe preschool education welfare in BRICS countries has some common features,which are: extending from disadvantaged children to all children,diversified supply to meet realistic needs,multi-subject participation under government-led operation,and cost-sharing of preschool education welfare by multiple levels of government.Finally,recommendations are made for the transformation of the macro welfare concept and the modification of the meso policy content for preschool education welfare in China after sorting out the development history and practical challenges of preschool education welfare in China.By increasing preschool education welfare coverage,enhancing preschool education welfare supply,extending preschool education welfare delivery channels,and enhancing preschool education welfare funding distribution,we work to strengthen China’s contemporary preschool education welfare system.