教育部近日取消了在申请小学入学时决定儿童年龄的截止日期限制。

　　The move has now given provincial authorities the flexibility to decide the date to determine children's ages for primary school entrance.

　　此举现已授权省级教育部门自行决定小学入学年龄截止日期。

　　September 1 was set as the first day of a school year in 1992.

　　1992年，9月1日被定为新学年开学日。

　　我国小学入学年龄截止日不再一刀切

　　The Law on Compulsory Education stipulated that all children who are six years old before August 31 should go to primary school on September 1 of the year.

　　《义务教育法》规定，8月31日前年满6周岁的所有儿童应在当年9月1日入读小学。

　　Many insiders believe the cancellation of the Aug 31 deadline will not matter a lot since the age to receive compulsory education has remained the same.

　　不少业内人士认为，取消8月31日截止日期限制的影响不会很大，因为接受义务教育的年龄并未改变。

　　Xiong Bingqi, deputy dean at the 21st Century Education Research Institute, suggested the introduction of a flexible age for primary school entrance, as children in other countries can start school between the ages of five and seven based on their intelligence and family situations.

　　21世纪教育研究院副院长熊丙奇建议引入小学入学年龄弹性制，因为其他国家的儿童可根据智力和家庭情况在5到7岁之间入学。