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The Chinese Education System
Introduction
China has the largest education system in the world. In June 2022, there were 11.93 million
students taking the National Higher Education Entrance Examination (Gao Kao) in China.
International students have enrolled in over 1000 higher education institutions throughout
the country. 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.
China has improved the quality of education through a major effort at school curriculum and other
reforms. China's Education Modernization 2035 plan is launched to set the direction for
the development of the education sector from “capacity” to “quality”, and that the
modernization of education should support the modernization of China.
The Ministry of Education has launched a pilot education program which will allow 36 top
universities in China including Peking, Tsinghua and Fudan University, to select
outstanding high school graduates who are willing to serve the country's major strategic
needs. Under the program, known as the Strong Base Plan, the universities will focus on
enrollment in majors such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology that have been
proved unpopular with students in recent years. Many students prefer to study in majors
for high paying careers.
Structure of the Chinese education system
In China, education is divided into three categories: basic education, higher education,
and adult education. By law, each child must have nine years of compulsory education from
primary school (six years) to junior secondary education (three years).
Basic education
Basic education in China includes pre-school education (usually three years), primary
