China unveils blueprint for building strong education system by 2035

BEIJING -- China on Sunday unveiled a new educational blueprint, vowing to build a strong education system by 2035 to support its modernization drive and national rejuvenation.

The 2024-2035 master plan on building China into a leading country in education was jointly issued by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council.

The strong education system of socialism with Chinese characteristics will feature powerful ideological and political leadership, talent competitiveness, scientific and technological underpinning, livelihood security, social synergy, and international influence, according to the document.

Building a leading country in education has been an aspiration of the Chinese nation since the advent of modern times. In 2022, the CPC set the goal to be achieved by 2035.

By 2027, a high-quality education system is expected to be initially established, and independent cultivation of talent will be greatly improved, leading to a steady stream of outstanding, innovative individuals, according to the document.

By 2035, a high-quality education system will be fully established. The accessibility and quality of basic education will remain among the best in the world. A fully developed learning society will be in place, and overall educational modernization will be achieved, it added.

This is the first national action plan focused on building China into a leading country in education to support the country's modernization in all respects.

Higher education

According to the document, China will accelerate the development of advanced research universities, encourage high-level foreign universities in science and engineering to offer programs in China, and vigorously promote professional postgraduate degree programs.

A mechanism needs be put in place to adjust disciplines and majors in alignment with advancements in science and technology as well as the country's national strategies, said the document.

It called for extraordinary efforts to set up urgently needed disciplines and majors, and stressed the need to strengthen foundational, emerging and interdisciplinary disciplines, and support endangered and less popular disciplines. The country will implement plans for foundational and interdisciplinary breakthrough research.

The document stressed that China will foster an environment that encourages exploration and tolerates failure, with the goal of cultivating high-caliber faculty and master scholars, according to the document.

Wu Yan, vice minister of education, revealed at a press conference last September that China added 1,673 undergraduate programs urgently needed for national strategies and removed 1,670 that do not align with economic and social development in 2024, an adjustment he described as "unprecedented."

Among the new majors are intelligent maritime equipment, intelligent material technology, and interdisciplinary engineering. For example, South China University of Technology was the first to apply to offer programs in soft matter science and engineering major and intelligent maritime equipment.

These are two majors designed to support the upgrading of China's strategic industries and the development of high-tech industries in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

There are 1,308 undergraduate universities in China, offering 816 majors across 93 subcategories within 12 categories. Since 2012, educational authorities have added 21,000 undergraduate programs and canceled or suspended 12,000, according to the ministry.

Opening-up

The new educational blueprint devoted significant attention to opening-up. China will enhance its capacity to train and attract global talent, expand youth exchanges between China and other countries, and implement international summer school programs.

Wu said at the September press conference that China will launch 800 key international summer school projects in the next three years. Additionally, it will invite 50,000 American teenagers to China for exchange programs over the next five years and 10,000 French teenagers in the next three years.

Notably, the country will expand academic exchanges and educational and research cooperation with the rest of the world, while supporting its universities in initiating and participating in international scientific programs, according to the document.

Chinese scientists have taken the lead in international high-profile projects including the Deep-time Digital Earth and Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions.

China will also actively participate in global education governance and support the establishment and development of international STEM education institutions.

The Sunday document also highlighted the need to monitor demographic shifts across different school-age groups in basic education, advance high-quality, balanced development and urban-rural integration in compulsory education, and cultivate more master craftsmen and highly-skilled workers.