On Aug 30, the State Council published a notice setting out general principles on lifting hukou restrictions for gaokao sitters.

Yuan said although the government plans to lift the hukou restriction, there are still criteria for parents and students. The parents must have stable jobs and accommodation in the city, and tax and insurance records, and the children's school registration will show whether they are living and studying in a city, or just moving in for gaokao.

Also, Yuan said, the ministry will allow local governments in different cities and provinces to set their own policies, because the population capacities and education resources vary in different regions.

Tan Songhua, a member of the National Education Advisory Committee and one of the key architects of the gaokao system, said this is the third attempt by the government to enhance education fairness for migrant workers' children.

He said the education authority published policies in 2001 and 2003 to allow children to receive education outside their hukou regions.

Currently, 79.4 percent of children who follow their parents to the city are studying in public schools, 10 percent in private schools and 3 percent in schools built by migrant workers on their own, according to official figures.

"This new policy is an extension of the previous two, but the attempt to remove gaokao restriction is complicated, especially in large cities where there are more education resources," Tan said.

"For example, in Beijing, Shanghai and the Pearl River Delta region, education resources are abundant but the population is also dense, so the local governments have to set their own thresholds," Tan said.

Tan also said some regions are carrying out pilot projects to organize several college entrance exams a year, which helps to reduce the severe competition in gaokao.

"That may be a new direction in the future," he said.