The Ministry of Education has moved to deny widely published media reports that the country's compulsory education scheme would be extended from nine to 13 years.

Compulsory education would remain at nine years, said a statement on the ministry's official website.

The reports had wrongly quoted Vice Education Minister Zhao Qinping as saying compulsory education would be extended to kindergarten children, said the statement.

Zhao had made no such comments on education extension, it said.

Zhao, also a member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body, was quoted by Shanghai Morning Post on March 6 as saying China's compulsory education would likely to cover four years of preschool education.

The "comments" were widely reprinted on websites and greeted with jubilation by many Internet users. On the Netease website, more than 800 people expressed support.

Xinhua did not run the story on Zhao's alleged comments.

China was still a developing country and the primary task was to consolidate nine-year compulsory education and improve education quality, said the ministry statement. The extension of compulsory education was not in line with China's economic conditions. China's Education Law stipulated all citizens were to receive nine years of compulsory full-time education -- six years of primary school and three of middle school. The government promises free nine-year compulsory education for 150 million rural children, and the policy is to benefit urban children this autumn.

(Xinhua News Agency March 10, 2008)