Summary

China is currently preparing a draft of the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan (FYP), which will set out China’s national priorities for the 2021-2025 period. In late September, Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a symposium to solicit opinions on economic and social development on this plan and called for efforts to promote development in the fields of education, culture, health and sports.

In the education sector, Xi’s speech stated that priority should be given to the development of education during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, including further reform and modernisation. He stressed that the education, academic disciplines and talent training structure should be optimised so that they are compatible with new development patterns, in particular that people should be able to pursue lifelong learning. Xi also asked higher education institutions to focus on the strategic needs of the country and accelerate their research efforts to make breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields.

He stressed giving greater priority to cultural development for strengthening the cultural confidence and promote innovative transformation and development of traditional Chinese culture. The Chinese president also stressed the importance of “health first” education, strengthening school physical education, and promote the coordinated development of cultural learning and physical exercise.

Outside of education, Xi’s speech discussed the development of China’s sports industry, the 2022 Winter Olympic Games and the importance of epidemic prevention, including international cooperation in global public health emergency responses.

The draft FYP is expected to be announced after a plenary session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which will be held from October 26 to 29 in Beijing. Future targets for 2035 will be also assessed during this plenary session.

Analysis by Kevin Prest, Senior Analyst, British Council International Education Services

The upcoming 14^th Five Year Plan will have wide-ranging implications for all areas of Chinese government policy, including education. Recent speeches by top Chinese officials have placed particular emphasis on continuing education and lifelong learning, which suggests that these will play an important role in the FYP and in Chinese policy over the coming years.

Meanwhile, Xi’s emphasis on higher education institutions serving national development repeats a principle that has been at the core of China’s education strategy for many years. This is already strongly embedded in government policy in many areas – for example, approval of transnational education partnerships strongly favours subjects seen as supporting national or regional development priorities. Industries targeted for support in 14^th Five Year Plan will likely also be priorities for the education sector.

Sources:

1. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-09/22/c_139388293_2.htm

2. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-09-22/Xi-urges-to-improve-people-s-sense-of-fulfillment-happiness-security-TZZM3LpIWY/index.html