China has set out a new action plan for educators in its bid to become a “leading education power”, with universities set to play a more strategic role, according to the country’s education minister who said the intention is to build China into an “important education centre with global influence”.
International exchanges and high level cooperation, including joint degree programmes, with leading international universities, especially in science and engineering, will be strengthened.
Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng said, during a rare press conference in Beijing last month, that the education blueprint outlined by Chinese President Xi Jinping to be achieved by 2035 is “our grand goal and direction for the next 11 years”, while acknowledging there were still “many difficulties and challenges” ahead.
The government first said in 2010 the nation needed to grow from “a major power” to “a strong power” in education, as a ‘precursor’ to becoming a strong nation in all aspects. Although the 2035 target was set in 2020, the government’s expectations were only recently articulated.
Higher education is key
At a key education conference from 9 to 10 September, Xi reiterated a blueprint first outlined in June 2023, saying “to develop a leading country in education, higher education is the key”.
He urged the nation to “march steadily” towards the goal, in what has since been described as a “mobilisation order” to step up the pace of implementation, while emphasising there would be no let-up in education goals, despite economic headwinds facing the country.
The latest “mobilisation order” sets the direction for educators, with a roadmap of concrete steps, Huai said during a later press conference in Beijing on 26 September during which he referred to Xi’s speech. Huai noted that the Ministry of Education would put extensive plans in place to meet the 2035 deadline.
In his speech Xi laid out key undertakings for the next 11 years, again calling for reforms of higher education to be guided by S&T innovation and strategic objectives.
“We will focus on improving innovation capabilities, optimise the configuration of higher education, improve the adjustment of university disciplines and talent training models, strengthen basic disciplines, emerging disciplines, and interdisciplinary disciplines, and cultivate top talents,” Xi declared.
Speaking to Politburo members, representatives from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, provincial governments, and universities at the September education conference, Xi outlined his expectations for the sector.
“The education power we want to build … should have strong ideological and political leadership, talent competitiveness, scientific and technological support … [It should] safeguard people’s livelihoods, [and have] social coordination and international influence,” he said.
Xi said that last year the country had already made great strides towards achieving the target, and had joined the ranks of “upper middle-level countries” in its overall level of modernisation of education. Xi cited global education rankings which placed China 23rd – up 26 spots from 2012, marking what he described as the ‘fastest’ progress in the world.
In July Huai revealed that the country’s gross enrolment ratio (GER) for higher education – the proportion of 18–23-year-olds proceeding to higher education – has surpassed 60% – equivalent to many upper middle-income countries. In 2012, GER was 30% and increased by 30.2 percentage points in the past decade, reaching what is globally recognised as ‘universal’ levels of higher education.
Huai noted that quality of undergraduate education was now the main driver under the blueprint articulated by Xi, as quality “directly determines” the quality of the workforce as well as the quality of masters and doctoral students who will contribute to China’s strategic development.
The government has outlined plans for economic growth fueled by science and technology innovation.
Bringing in and going out
A new goal has been articulated as “bringing in” and “going out” aimed at strengthening international cooperation and exchanges in a range of areas, according to the government’s proposals.
It includes bringing in leading international universities – especially universities of science and engineering – to conduct high-level cooperative education or joint programmes.
China has been pushing strongly for resumption of exchanges with leading universities after the long hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic when international travel was severely restricted.
Xi last year set a goal to invite 50,000 American youth on exchange and study programmes to China in the next five years. A goal to attract 10,000 students from France in the next three years was announced during Xi’s visit to Paris in June.
Overall, Chinese institutions have a lot to benefit from further opening up, according to Professor Qin Zengchang, a leading AI academic from Beihang University.
“It is not only conducive to education, but will also provide ‘impetus’ to the development of science and technology,” Qin said. “Those trained in this way will have stronger international perspectives,” he told University World News.
In the “going out” drive, Chinese institutions are encouraged to establish a presence overseas. The government cited the establishment of some 30 Luban Workshops (a Chinese vocational and technical training programme) as a major achievement.
At the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation last month, China pledged to establish 10 new Luban Workshops in Africa to help the continent modernise its education systems.
“Chinese education has shown a more open and confident attitude on the international stage, and is more capable of participating in international scientific discoveries and research,” Huai said during his September press conference.
Alignment with strategic goals
On higher education, the minister repeated previous goals, including further alignment with national strategic aims, particularly to generate original breakthroughs in science and technology. He pointed to more university reforms and plans to enhance basic and interdisciplinary breakthrough research.
Commercialisation of S&T research will also be accelerated, with the newly established regional centre for tech transfer and commercialisation in Jiangsu serving as a new model.
The ministry also pointed to more research-oriented universities, which together with joint programmes will meet a “growing demand” for quality tertiary education. The latest addition, the Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (SUAT), was officially inaugurated last week with the aspiration to become “world-class” within 20 years.
According to an academic from SUAT who spoke on condition of anonymity, the university is now running a joint programme with Hong Kong Polytechnic University to train doctoral students in areas such as biomedical engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering.
The programme has so far recruited 26 students that undertake studies in both cities.
Another primary task for universities will be to accelerate the adjustments of majors and disciplines.
“This year, we have added 1,673 places for majors urgently needed for national strategies and cancelled 1,670 that fail to adapt to economic and social development,” Huai noted, adding: “The intensity of the adjustments is unprecedented.”
It follows the ministry’s announcement last year that 20% of all university majors in China will have been “adjusted and optimised” by 2025, including bringing in a number of “big ideological and political courses”.
Looking ahead, the Ministry of Education will implement the action plan as its “number one project”, Huai said.