BEIJING - China will promote the use of standard spoken and written Chinese in preschool, the Ministry of Education said on Monday.

According to a notice issued by the ministry, kindergartens in rural and ethnic minority regions will include the use of standard spoken and written Chinese from this year's autumn semester which starts in September.

Kindergarten teachers in rural and ethnic minority areas have been asked to improve standard Chinese language skills to prepare preschool children for basic standard Chinese communication skills for primary education, the notice added.