An empirical study on education equity in China, 1978–2004

By using the education Gini coefficient (EGC), as the indicator of education equity, this paper will calculate the degree of education equity in China during 1978–2004. Results show that although education equity as a whole has improved significantly since 1978, it is rather at a low level compared with the international average. Due to the great inequality among regions and the rural-urban disparity in education, the positive influence of education on social development and economic growth has been limited.