School district housing (Xue Qu Fang) and the underlying problem of unequal distribution of educational resources : a study of Guangzhou city

Abstract

The “Nearby School” policy in the Compulsory Education Law guarantees enrollment of school-age children to schools adjacent to their registered residencies. However, this policy induces the phenomenon of school district housing, as parents buy houses in certain school districts to take advantages of better schools there, which results in rising property prices in certain school districts. The main research objectives of this study are to examine the school district housing phenomenon in the city of Guangzhou, and to investigate the extent to which this phenomenon results in unequal distribution of educational resources among different school districts. The literature review includes literature from the West, plus an analysis of research focusing on school district housing in Chinese cities. Data is collected through research on Guangzhou’s housing market and interviews with different groups of people living in Guangzhou. The literature review and data analysis clearly demonstrate an unequal distribution of educational resources in Guangzhou, with Yuexiu district having the best resources among all eleven districts. After examining current policies in Guangzhou, this study proposes four policy recommendations: improving the current policies; equalizing educational resources to different districts; regulating housing markets and reforming on the hukou system. Limitations on the number and diversity of the interviewees leave ample space for further research on this topic.