Summary

China’s State Council recently issued the National Education Development Plan for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016 – 2020). The document covers the same period as the country's overall 13th Five-Year Plan, which was released last year, but gives more detail on specific goals related to education.

As with the comments on education in the main five-year plan, the Education Development Plan focuses on the key areas of improving teaching quality, increasing equity in education, optimising allocation of resources, promoting international cooperation, cultivating students’ entrepreneurship and innovation capabilities, and cultivating talents needed for the industries and national development. It reinforces support for a number of ongoing policies such as the world class universities programme which provides support for universities and key disciplines to reach world-class standards.

One particular focus of the plan is to accelerate the development of modern vocational education, including promoting the transformation of qualified universities to colleges of applied technology, with policy priorities and increased enrolment quotas. The Plan encourages the cultivation of talents needed in modern agriculture, advanced manufacturing and service industries, coordinated development of world-class universities and disciplines in the higher education sector. It also sets targets for expansion of continuing education to employees across the country, with farmers, workers and retired veterans specifically mentioned. At the press conference briefing for the Plan, Vice Minister of Education Li Xiaohong stated that about 200 colleges and universities are undergoing transformation to colleges of applied technology, and the integrated development of vocational education and industry will be actively promoted in order to cultivate employees with in-dement practical and professional skills.

Other key elements that may have particular relevance to UK educational institutions include:

• Increased targets for higher education enrolment. The Plan sets a new 50 per cent goal for gross higher education enrolment by 2020. This is higher than the 40 per cent target for the same year laid out in the former Medium and Long Term Educational Reform and Development Plan, which was achieved ahead of schedule in 2015. The total number of HE students (including higher vocational students) will increase from 36.5 to 38.5 million by 2020, while the number of postgraduates will increase to 2.9 Mn including 2.3 Mn full-time postgraduates.
• Plans to strengthen international exchange and cooperation. This includes strengthened systems surrounding Sino-foreign joint institutions. This includes improved systems for supervision, quality assurance and information sharing, as well as improving the system for institutions exiting the market.
• Support for inward student mobility. A plan will be drawn up to both increase the scale and improve the quality of overseas students studying in China, while a “Study in China” brand will be created. There is an aspiration to increase the number of overseas postgraduates to make up 3 per cent of total postgraduate enrolment by 2020, but no set targets for students at other levels.
• Positive language on the private sector, calling for non-government funded education to be encouraged but also regulated. Private companies will be encouraged to set up schools and education institutions for provision of diversified educational products and services. Non-profit and for-profit private schools will be granted differentiated favourable policies while the former will get more support from local governments.

Analysis by Kevin Prest and Xiaoxiao Liu

In general the broad goals of the plan are in line with those set out in the overall Five Year Plan, which was previously covered in SIEM market news (see links below). One new development is the higher targets for expanding the coverage of the higher education system. The 50 per cent enrolment target means that the number of HE students in China will continue to increase over the next five years despite a falling youth population.

This continued increase in the number of HE students in China may increase demand for UK postgraduate courses. However, the planned increase in domestic postgraduate provision along with the continued investment in HE quality improvements at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels may have a negative effect on demand for overseas HE programmes.

The plan also expresses a clear goal to improve regulations around transnational education programmes in China. This will likely have a positive effect in clarifying regulations in this area, while the recent focus on quality as opposed to quantity is likely to continue.

Sources

1. The National Education Development Plan for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016 – 2020), Full Text in Chinese: http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2017-01/19/content_5161341.htm

2. China releases the 13th Five-Year Plan, setting out priorities for 2016-2020 (SIEM Market News): https://education-services.britishcouncil.org/news/market-news/china-releases-13th-five-year-plan-setting-out-priorities-2016-2020

3. Policy briefing on Education 13th Five-year Plan (Chinese): http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2017-01/19/content_5161366.htm; http://www.gov.cn/shuju/2016-12/30/content_5155042.htm; http://www.scio.gov.cn/34473/34515/Document/1538396/1538396.htm

4. Other news: http://english.gov.cn/news/top_news/2017/01/04/content_281475532563464.htm