Education in china is primarily managed by the state run public education system which falls under the command of the ministry of education all citizens must attend school for a minimum of nine years known as nine year compulsory education which is funded by the government. Understanding the education system in china state education in china the chinese educational system is based on an elite selection structure where the scores of private education in china rich families can of course get rid of the strict bureaucracy of the state education system foreign . Education system in china primary education in china primary school education is compulsory and it lasts 6 years children start schools at age middle education junior lower secondary education lasts three years following the completion of primary school in secondary education after the . Statistics of china 2014 excluding graduate education institutions chinas education system is not only immense but diverse education is state run with little involvement of private providers in the school sector and increasingly decentralised county level governments have primary responsibility of the governing and delivery