China education is the largest education system in the world.

On June 2018, there were

9.75 million students taking the National Higher Education Entrance Examination (Gao
Kao) in China. Investment in education accounts for about 4% of total GDP in China. In
1986, the Chinese government passed a compulsory education law, making nine years
of education mandatory for all Chinese children. Today, the Ministry of Education
estimates that above 99 percent of the school-age children have received universal
nine-year basic education. (Picture of Chinese Students Preparing for the Gao Kao)
On March 2018, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China announced a
total of 489,200 international students were studying in China in 2017. International
students have enrolled in over 935 higher education institutions in China. China has a
long history of providing education to international students studying in high schools and
universities in China. Over the past few years, the number of international students who
study abroad in China has significantly increased every year.
The higher education sector has growth as well. China has increased the proportion of
its college-age population in higher education to over 20 percent now from 1.4 percent
in 1978. At the same time, China is improving the quality of education through a major
effort at school curriculum reform.
China has a consistent teacher development system. Teaching has historically been
and remains today a highly respected profession in China. Teachers have strong
preparation in their subject matter and prospective teachers spend a great deal of time
observing the classrooms of experienced teachers, often in schools attached to their
universities. Once teachers are employed in school, there is a system of induction and
continuous professional development in which groups of teachers work together with
master teachers on lesson plans and improvement.
History of Education in China
Many Chinese scholars believe the history of education in China can be traced back at
as far as the 16th century BC. Throughout this period of time, education was the
privilege of the elites. Confucianism probably is the biggest influence in history of
education in China.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine has made great contribution to the health of Chinese
people for thousands years, and it became an independent medical system in world
medical field with its special clinical effect, rational theory system and rich practice
experience.
Project 211 and 985
Project 211 is the Chinese government's new endeavor aimed at strengthening about
100 universities and key disciplinary areas as a national priority for the 21st century.
Project 985 is a constructive project for founding world-class universities in the 21st
century.
Education Law of the People's Republic of China
Adopted at the third session of the eighth National People's Congress, promulgated by
Order No.45 of the President of the People's Republic of China on March 18, 1995 and
effective as of September 1, 1995.
Nine-Year Compulsory Education in China
Nine-year compulsory education policy in China enables students over six years old
nationwide to have free education at both primary schools (grade 1 to 6) and junior
secondary schools (grade 7 to 9). The policy is funded by government, tuition is free.
Schools still charge miscellaneous fees. Senior secondary school (grade 10 to 12) and
college education are not compulsory and free in China.

China is home to around 2,000 colleges and universities with a student body of more than six million.
Students can choose between various degree programs such as bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral
degrees, as well as non-degree programs. Foreign students are welcome to enter all institutions of
higher education in China.

Since the mid-1980s, higher education in China has not been funded by the state anymore, which is
why the competition for scholarships is high. As they are based on academic performance, the
pressure to perform well in secondary school and during the Gaokao is rather high. (You can find out
more about this from our article on the Chinese school system.) Thus, international students have to
prove themselves in this competitive environment, especially because more and more foreigners are
enrolling at Chinese universities. In early 2014, more than 350,000 international students were
studying in China.

Centers of Innovation
China has the largest higher education system in the world. Its universities and independent colleges
are considered equal institutions of higher learning. Some of them are run directly by the Ministry of
Education, some fall under the authority of local governments, and others are run by the cities or
communities. Prospective students can choose from different types of universities, colleges, and
professional schools of higher education.

Students spend two or three years on an undergraduate level if they attend a junior college (also
known as short-cycle college). Other regular universities, however, usually offer three-year and four-
year programs on the undergraduate level. Many also offer graduate programs leading to master’s
or doctoral degrees.
Aside from the usual undergraduate and graduate programs, scientific research is also an essential
part of Chinese higher education. Various key laboratories, open research labs and engineer
research centers have been established by Chinese universities, and function as a driving force
behind innovative new science and technology.

If you want to learn more about China before attending a university there, have a look at some facts
and figures.

Project 211 and 985

There are two projects, designed to strengthen specific universities and fields, and support the
founding of new, world-class universities in China. These projects are commonly referred to as “211”
and “985”. Project 211 aims to identify the best universities for the 21st century and support them in
their development. Currently, there are 112 universities which receive this support to fulfill the
highest standards in terms of their organization, education, and research.

Project 985, on the other hand, is a support program which aims to ensure world-class standards in
China’s best universities and allows them to compete with other top universities around the world.
Project 985 takes the approach of project 211, mentioned above, one step further and currently
includes 39 universities. It has two lines, focusing on science and technology, as well as social
sciences and philosophy, respectively.

Gaining Admission
Admission requirements can, of course, vary, depending on the university you plan on applying to.
Peking University, for instance, requires visiting students to pass a language proficiency exam or
show proof of receiving a certificate of the HSK (Hanyu shuiping kaoshi). Only if the applicant has
passed one of these tests with a high mark can they attend specialty courses.

Moreover, every program might have its own requirements. Peking University offers 11 English-
speaking master’s programs at the moment. Most of them require you to submit a completed
application form, certified copies of your diploma in English or Chinese, certified copies of your
official transcripts, and a photocopy of your valid passport. Often an entrance examination and an
interview will be conducted as well. Please inquire with the university of your choice regarding the
exact admission requirements, application deadlines, and visa requirements.

We do our best to keep this article up to date. However, we cannot guarantee that the
information provided is always current or complete. 

The educational system in China is a major vehicle for both inculcating values in and
teaching needed skills to its people. Traditional Chinese culture attached great
importance to education as a means of enhancing a person’s worth and career. In the
early 1950s the Chinese communists worked hard to increase the country’s rate of
literacy, an effort that won them considerable support from the population. By the end
of that decade, however, the government could no longer provide jobs adequate to
meet the expectations of those who had acquired some formal schooling. Other
pressing priorities squeezed educational budgets, and the anti-
intellectualism inherent in the more-radical mass campaign periods affected the status
and quality of the educational effort. These conflicting pressures made educational
policy a sensitive barometer of larger political trends and priorities. The shift to rapid
and pragmatic economic development as the overriding national goal in the late 1970s
quickly affected China’s educational system.
The Chinese educational structure provides for six years of primary school, three
years each of lower secondary school and upper secondary school, and four years in
the standard university curriculum. All urban schools are financed by the state, while
rural schools depend more heavily on their own financial resources. Official policy
stresses scholastic achievement, with particular emphasis on the natural sciences. A
significant effort is made to enhance vocational training opportunities for students
who do not attend a university. The quality of education available in the cities
generally has been higher than that in the countryside, although considerable effort
has been made to increase enrollment in rural areas at all education levels.
The traditional trend in Chinese education was toward fewer students and higher
scholastic standards, resulting in a steeply hierarchical educational system. Greater
enrollment at all levels, particularly outside the cities, is gradually reversing that
trend. Primary-school enrollment is now virtually universal, and nearly all of those
students receive some secondary education; about one-third of lower-secondary
graduates enroll in upper-secondary schools. The number of university students is
increasing rapidly, though it still constitutes only a small fraction of those
receiving primary education. For the overwhelming majority of students, admission to
a university since 1977 has been based on competitive nationwide examinations, and
attendance at a university is usually paid for by the government. In return, a university
student has had to accept the job provided by the state upon graduation. A growing
number of university students are receiving training abroad, especially at the
postgraduate level.
The system that developed in the 1950s of setting up “key” urban schools that were
given the best teachers, equipment, and students was reestablished in the late 1970s.
The inherently elitist values of such a system put enormous pressure on secondary-
school administrators to improve the rate at which their graduates passed tests for
admission into universities. In addition, dozens of elite private schools have been
established since the early 1990s in China’s major cities.
Six universities, all administered directly by the Ministry of Education in Beijing, are
the flagships of the Chinese higher educational system. Three are located in
Beijing: Peking University (Beijing Daxue), the leading nontechnical
institution; Tsinghua (Qinghua) University, which is oriented primarily toward
science and engineering; and People’s University of China, the only one of the six
founded after 1949. The three outside Beijing are Nankai University in Tianjin, which
is especially strong in the social sciences; Fudan University,
a comprehensive institution in Shanghai; and Sun Yat-sen (Zhongshan) University
in Guangzhou(Canton), the principal university of South China. In addition, every
province has a key provincial university, and there are hundreds of other technical and
comprehensive higher educational institutions in locations around the country. The
University of Hong Kong (founded 1911) is the oldest school in Hong Kong.
The damage done to China’s human capital by the ravages of the Great Leap
Forward and, especially, by the Cultural Revolution was so great that it took years to
make up the loss. After the 1970s, however, China’s educational system increasingly
trained individuals in technical skills so that they could fulfill the needs of the
advanced, modern sector of the economy. The social sciences and humanities also
receive more attention than in earlier years, but the base in those disciplines is
relatively weak—many leaders still view them with suspicion—and the resources
devoted to them are thin.
Kenneth G. LieberthalThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Cultural Life
Growing number of foreign students choosing to study in China for a
degree across multiple disciplines
2018-04-03 10:30:00
(www.moe.gov.cn)

In 2017, 489,200 internationals students furthered their studies in China, marking an increase of
over 10% for the second consecutive year. The number of degree students reached 241,500
(49.38% of the total), up 15.04% year on year. According to the MOE, a growing number of foreign
students are choosing to study in China for a master’s or Ph.D. degree across a widening range of
disciplines, and scholarships granted by the Chinese government are playing an increasingly
important role in attracting international students.

Statistics show that students from 204 countries and territories studied in 935 Chinese higher
education institutions located in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in 2017. They
included 75,800 graduate and doctoral students, an increase of 18.62% compared to 2016. As of the
end of 2017, China was the most popular destination for international students in Asia. The top 10
source countries were South Korea, Thailand, Pakistan, the United States, India, Russia, Japan,
Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Laos, respectively. The number of students from ‘Belt and Road’
countries, which accounted for 64.85% of all international students in China, was 317,200, an
increase of 11.58%. 341,900 international students (69.88% of the total) studied in 11 eastern
municipalities and provinces such as Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang.

Statistics also show that scholarships offered by the Chinese government have allowed an
increasing number of international students to further their professional studies and pursue higher
degrees in more specialized fields. In 2017, 58,600 foreign students from 180 countries were
awarded Chinese government scholarships, accounting for 11.97% of the total. 88.02% of the
recipients were degree students (51,600); 69.57% (40,800) were graduates or doctoral students,
marking an increase of 20.06% compared to 2016. The number of self-funded students was
430,600, accounting for 88.03% of all overseas students.

48.45% of these foreign students were enrolled for liberal arts degrees, while the number of students
majoring in engineering, management, science, art and agronomy increased by 20% year on year. 

http://en.moe.gov.cn/News/Top_News/201804/t20180403_332258.html

Chinese Education Development

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese Government has attached
great importance to the development of education. The state has promulgated a series of laws on
education that ensure that all the Chinese people, particularly school-age children, ethnic minorities,
women, and the handicapped have the right to receive education. Through 50 years of efforts, China
has made big strides in education. Indeed, China runs the biggest education system in the world.

Nine-year compulsory education is now being implemented by stages and in a systematic way. In
areas inhabited by 91% of the entire population, the goal of universalizing primary education has
been attained. Enormous progress has been made in higher education, vocational and technical
education, adult education and education of the ethnic minorities. A multi-level educational system
with various modes of educational delivery and diversified programs, covering all major subject
areas has taken shape in China. International cooperation and exchange in education have
expanded over the years.

The System of Educational Administration and Management in China

China has introduced an educational system under which schools are primarily run by the
government with the support of various sectors of society. At present, local governments take charge
of primary education, while the central and provincial governments (including governments of
autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) are responsible for
running institutions of higher education. Under the guidance of the government, vocational and adult
education should rely mainly on various sectional departments, enterprises, institutions and other
sectors of society. The government encourages all sectors of society to pool their resources in
extending educational provision of all types and levels.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) is the highest administrative organ in charge of education in China.
Its responsibilities include: enforcing the laws and decrees promulgated by the state, carrying out the
principles and guidelines formulated by the state, formulating specific educational policies, drawing
up overall plans for educational development, coordinating the efforts of various governmental
departments in education, and drawing up a general scheme for and giving guidance to the reform of
China's educational structure. Since 1978, a number of important laws have been promulgated, such
as the Compulsory Education Law of the People's Republic of China, the Regulations of the
People's Republic of China on Academic Degrees, the Teachers' Law of the People's Republic of
China, the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Juveniles, the Education Law
of the People's Republic of China, and the Regulations on the Qualifications of Teachers, the Higher
Education Law of the People's Republic of China in addition to more than 10 administrative statutes.
Besides, the Ministry of Education has issued more than two hundred administrative regulations on
education within its mandate, effectively promoting the development of education of various types at
different levels.

In the system adopted for educational finance, governmental allocations are the main source but to
be supplemented by funds raised through multiple channels. For educational institutions under the
jurisdiction of various central ministries and agencies, the funds needed are provided by state
budgetary allocations, for institutions under the jurisdiction of local governments, the funds needed
are provided by local budgets, for schools run by townships or village communities, enterprises and
institutions, the funds needed are mainly provided by the sponsors of the schools, to be
supplemented by governmental subsidies, for schools sponsored by social organizations, prominent
personages, the funds needed are provided by the sponsors themselves (including tuition fees
collected from students and donations). Besides these sources of educational finance, schools of
various types at different levels are encouraged to conduct work-study programs and to provide
income-generating services to society so as to improve their financial situation and school facilities.

Since 1978, the investment for educational purposes has been increasing year by year. In 1997,
total educational expenditures reached 253.173 billion yuan, of which 186.254 billion yuan or 73.57
% came from governmental resources, including 135.773 billion yuan of strictly budgetary
allocations.

China's Educational System

Education in China is divided into four categories, namely, basic education, secondary vocational-
technical education, regular higher education, and adult education.

Basic Education
Basic education encompasses pre-school education, primary and general secondary education.
Primary schooling usually lasts six years, secondary education is divided into two stage: junior
secondary and senior secondary, with each usually lasting three years. There are also some nine-
year schools combining primary and junior secondary education.

Great efforts have been exerted to implement nine-year compulsory education by stages ever since
the promulgation of the Compulsory Education Law of the People'S Republic of China in 1986.
Primary education has become universal in most parts of the country. In big cities and economically
developed areas junior secondary education is being steadily universalized. In 1997, there were
628,840 primary schools with a total enrollment of 130 million pupils and the net enrollment rate of
school-age children reached 98.9%, and the annual retention rate reached 98.5%. So far, in areas
inhabited by 91% of the entire population primary education has been universalized. The transition
rate of primary school graduates to junior secondary schools reached 92.6%. In 1997, there were
78,642
junior secondary schools with a total enrollment of 46,578,200 students
and a total intake of 17,522,800 new entrants, and there were 1,469
junior secondary vocational schools with a total enrollment of 808,900
students and a total intake of 308,800 students. The gross enrollment
rate at the junior secondary stage is about 82.4%, and the transition rate
of junior secondary school graduates to various types of senior secondary schools reached 49.76%.
In 1997, there were 13,880 general senior secondary schools with a total enrollment of 85,007,000
students and a total intake of 3,226,100 new entrants.

In 1997, there were 1,440 schools for special education catering to the needs of the blind, the deaf-
mute, and the mentally retarded children, with a total enrollment of 340,600 students, increased by
20,000 as compared with the previous year. Now, more than half of school-age handicapped
children have access to education. There were 182,485 kindergartens with a total enrollment of
25,189,600 children.

Secondary Vocational and Technical Education

Secondary vocational and technical education encompasses education and training provided by
regular specialized secondary schools [including secondary technical schools (STSs) and normal
schools (NSs)], skilled workers schools (SWSs), and vocational schools, as well as by short-term
vocational and technical training courses of various descriptions.

Since the 1980s, secondary vocational and technical education has been developing rapidly. In
1996, there were 33,464 secondary VTE schools of various types with a total enrollment of
18,697,600 students in addition to 2,100 training centers offering training to about one million
unemployed each year. The proportion of students enrolled in vocational-technical programs at the
senior secondary stage increased
from 18.9% in 1980 to 51.2% in 1996.

In 1997, there were 4,143 specialized secondary schools (SSSs), including 3,152 STSs and 897
NSs, with a total enrollment of 4,654,100 students. Within the subsector of STSs, enrollment in
programs of finance and economics, physical education, and arts tends to increase, while enrollment
in engineering or technological programs tends to decrease. 
In 1997, there were 8,578 senior secondary vocational schools with a total enrollment of 3,957,500
students and a total intake of 1,803,400 new entrants, and 4,395 SWSs with a total enrollment of
1,931,000 students and a total intake of 734,000 new entrants.

Regular Higher Education

Regular higher education refers to tertiary level education provided by short-cycle courses or
schools, undergraduate courses, and postgraduate programs, all offering training for formal
academic qualifications. Short-cycle courses usually last two or three years, while normal
undergraduate courses last mostly four years, with medical courses lasting five years, and a few
engineering schools offering five-year programs. Master degree programs take 2-3 years to
complete, while doctoral programs usually take 3 years to complete. 
In the past 50 years, higher education in China has made big strides. The academic degrees system
has been instituted since 1981, and degrees are awarded at three levels; the bachelor's degree, the
master's degree, and the doctor's degree. Thanks to a series of reforms and readjustments of the
educational structure, the vitality of higher education institutions (HEIs) has been greatly enhanced,
the scale of their operation has expanded a great deal, the structural pattern of educational provision
tends to be more rational, and the quality of education and training has markedly
improved, with concomitant improvement of the cost-effectiveness of educational programs. Thus, a
system of higher education providing multi-level training in programs covering fairly comprehensive
disciplinary areas, and using various modes of educational delivery has
taken shape, playing a significant role in promoting the economic and
social development of the country and in furthering the advancement of
science, technology and culture.

In 1997, there were 1,020 regular HEIs in China with a total enrollment of 2,906,400 students and a
total intake of 1 million new entrants. At the graduate level, in 1996, there was a total enrollment of
162,300 students, with 35,203 enrolled in doctoral programs and 126,632 enrolled in master's
degree programs, and a total intake of 59,400 new entrants, including 12,562 enrolled in doctoral
programs and 46,632 in master's degree programs. In the period of 1979-1996, the total output of
graduates from regular HEls reached 7,667,400 or 2.58 times the total output of the previous 30
years. In the 1981 -1996 period, the total number of doctoral degrees awarded reached 20,514, and
the total number of master's degrees awarded reached 285,943. 

In 1996, the ratio of intake of undergraduate students (including those enrolled in short-cycle
programs) and the intake of graduate students stands at 1:16.3 compared with 1:17.7 in 1994, while
the ratio between intake of 4-year undergraduate students and intake of short-cycle students stands
at 1:0.91.

As regards the composition of newly admitted students, those enrolled in programs of the
humanities, finance and economics, political science and law, physical culture and sports, and arts
tend to increase, while those enrolled in science and engineering programs tend to decrease, and
enrollment in finance and economics programs shows marked increase.

There are over 3,400 research institutes or research labs affiliated to regular HEls throughout the
country. About 500 programs in various academic fields have been designated as priority ones and
given the necessary resources for their healthy development. About 150 national key laboratories
and special laboratories are being developed to increase the R&D potential of HEls. A number of
engineering research centers are at the initial stage of development. Important accomplishments in
basic and applied research, as well as in high-tech research and development have been scored. In
the fields of natural sciences, 50% of prizes awarded at the national level went to university
scientists, as for research in philosophy and social sciences, the prize-winning projects that fall
under the national Eighth Five-Year Plan and in which HEIs play a leading role or take part in
account for nearly 60% of the total number of prize-winning projects. 

Adult Education
Adult education includes both school equivalency programs of all types and levels catering to the
needs of adults studying for the acquisition of formal qualifications, and non-formal programs
including literacy education and vocational and technical training. 

Educational programs for adults at tertiary level have developed rapidly. In 1997, there were 1,107
tertiary adult education institutions, and about 800 regular HEls offered correspondence and evening
programs. Total enrollment in these institutions and programs reached 2,724,500 and 1,003,600
new entrants were admitted (including 80,600 admitted to the full-time programs provided by the
RTVUs). 892,000 graduated from these institutions and programs.

In 1996, among the adult schools catering to the needs of peasants, there were 453 specialized
secondary schools for peasants with a total enrollment of 191,800 students, 3,821 general
secondary schools for peasants with a total enrollment of 406,900, 385,497 technical training
schools for peasants, and over 70.3538 million people completed various training programs, and it is
estimated that they account for 12.2% of the total work force in the countryside. Rural adult
education has made important contribution to the training of a large number of peasants by helping
them to master useful knowledge and skills of appropriate techniques. So far more than 200 million
(with double count) people have undergone such training. 

As regards the development of state-administered examinations for self-directed learners of tertiary

and specialized secondary courses, there has been phenomenal growth of adults sitting for such
examinations. In 1995, 279 program areas (specialties) were open for higher education
examinations, and the total number of applicants reached over 3,860,000, with more than 1,100,000
succeeding in acquiring first degree level or subdegree level qualifications. Over 200,000 Succeeded
in acquiring SSS qualifications.

In 1996, there were 116,415 literacy classes with a total enrollment of 4,761,300. Over the past four
years the number of people completing literacy classes either exceeded or approached five million
every year.

International Cooperation and Exchange in Education

In 1978, with the implementation of the policy of reform and opening to the outside world,
international cooperation and exchange in education entered a new stage. Each year many students
and visiting scholars are sent abroad for advanced studies or research. Foreign students seeking to
study in Chinese institutions are increasing year by year. Scholarly exchanges in many fields have
been developed extensively. The useful experiences of foreign countries and institutions we have
learned through these exchange programs have been conducive to the reform and development of
education in China and have helped promote mutual understanding and friendship between China
and foreign countries.

Over the past ten-odd years, we have sent 270,000 people to study in more than 100 countries and
regions in the world, and received 210,000 foreign students from 160 countries and regions coming
to study in Chinese institutions. About 1,800 Chinese college teachers and experts have taught
abroad, and more than 40,000 foreign experts and teachers have taught in Chinese institutions. The
cumulative number of Chinese scholars going abroad to attend international conferences and the
cumulative number of foreign participants coming to China to attend international conferences
hosted by Chinese institutions have both exceeded 11,000.

In 1996, China sent more than 10,000 people to study abroad in about 100 countries and regions,
and about 267 regular HEls received about 33,000 students from 153 countries and regions enrolled
in either long-term or short-term programs. TO promote the teaching of Chinese as a foreign
language in foreign institutions, we sent Chinese language teachers to more than 30 countries,
besides, over 5,000 Chinese teachers working in various other fields were sent abroad to teach or to
give short-term lectures. In the past year, our universities and colleges invited more than 12,000
foreign experts or teachers to give lectures or work in China, and regular HEIs directly under the
Ministry of Education alone sent 2,099 scholars to attend 1,316 international conferences and
hosted 96 international conferences attended by more than 3,000 scholars coming from outside
China. The Ministry of Education and its institutions received 130 visiting delegations. 

New advances have been made in providing educational aid to foreign countries. The main form of
aid is shifting from financial assistance to help build schools and develop facilities to aid specific
projects. Such a shift in priority is more effective in enhancing the capability of educational provision
of the recipient country and is highly appreciated by the foreign governments concerned.

Over the past ten-odd years, both bilateral and multi-lateral educational aid programs providing
assistance to Chinese institutions and educational programs have been conducted successfully. The
providers of multilateral aids include UNESCO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, World Bank and other
international organizations. The World Bank alone has granted one billion US dollars of loans to
support various projects of educational development, while the other international organizations
have provided financial aids to various educational projects aggregating to 100 million US dollars.

In recent years, institutions, organizations and individuals in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have
made many contributions to the mainland educational undertakings, and educational exchanges and
cooperation have gradually expanded between institutions and organizations in Hong Kong, Macao
and Taiwan and those on the mainland.

Concluding Remarks
The overall level of educational development in China is still comparatively backward, as China is a
country with a large population and there are large regional disparities in economic and cultural
development. The transition rates of graduates of primary, junior secondary and general senior
secondary schools to the next higher level educational institutions are important indicators of
educational development in China. According to the statistics of 1995, 90.8% of primary school
graduates continued their study in lower secondary schools, 48.3% of lower secondary school
graduates continued their study in general upper secondary schools, specialized secondary schools,
vocational high schools or skilled workers schools, 45.92% of general upper secondary school
graduates continued heir study in regular tertiary institutions. However, only about 4% of he college
age cohort can expect to have a place in the regular HEls. According to the data from the sampling
investigation in 1995 on one percent of the total population, among every 100,000 people, 2,065
persons received higher education, 8,282 persons senior secondary education and
27,283 junior secondary education. There is still a long way to go for China to have her educational
undertakings to fully meet the needs of economic and social development and the aspirations of her
youth to receive education at the upper secondary and tertiary levels.

As science and technology in present day develops rapidly, the worldwide competition in economy,
science and technology is becoming increasingly intense and poses a stern challenge to education.
Those who can gain an upperhand in education of the 21st century will occupy a favorable position
in international competition then. From a strategic point of view, the Chinese government gives a
high Priority to the development of education. In 1993, the Chinese government promulgated the
Guidelines for the Reform and Development of Education in China, which sets important goals for all
sectors of education. By the year 2000, nine-year compulsory education will be basically
universalized across the country, and there will be practically no illiterates among young and middle-
aged adults. Efforts will be made to promote the development of about 100 leading universities and
certain selected disciplines and specialties(211 Project). Vocational and technical education and
adult education will all be given due attention and expand considerably in the years to come in the
grand plan for educational development.

To attain the goal set is a Herculean task, and great efforts have to be exerted in increasing financial
input, in improving the physical facilities of educational institutions, in upgrading the qualifications of
teachers, and in enhancing the management of education. There are ample reasons to expect that
the basic framework of a socialist educational system suited to China's specific conditions and
geared to the 21st century will gradually take shape.
http://au.china-embassy.org/eng/jy/xm/t46266.htm