200亿保育费减免落地，一图了解历年幼儿园学生人数

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the implementation of a national policy for free childcare education fees, which is expected to benefit approximately 12 million children in the upcoming autumn semester, resulting in a financial impact of around 20 billion yuan for both the government and families [3]. Group 1: Policy Implementation - The Ministry of Finance announced that the free childcare education fee policy will cover all kindergarten large class children, with an estimated 12 million beneficiaries this autumn semester [3]. - The financial impact for the current semester includes an increase in national expenditure of approximately 20 billion yuan, which will correspondingly reduce family expenses by the same amount [3]. - Each child will receive a subsidy of nearly 1,667 yuan for the autumn semester [3]. Group 2: Enrollment and Birth Rate Trends - As of 2024, the number of kindergarten students is projected to be 35.84 million, a decrease from the peak of 48.18 million in 2020 [3]. - The birth rate has significantly declined from 17.86 million in 2016 to 9.02 million in 2023, representing a nearly 50% drop [3]. - However, there was a slight recovery in the birth rate last year, with 9.54 million births recorded [3]. Group 3: Future Plans for Free Education - The State Council has released an opinion on gradually promoting free preschool education, stating that from the autumn semester of 2025, public kindergartens will waive childcare education fees for children in their final year [3]. - Private kindergartens approved by education departments will also have their fees reduced in accordance with local public kindergarten standards [3]. - The government will provide financial support to kindergartens affected by the reduction in income due to the waiver of fees, with funding sourced from both central and local finances [3].