Summary

The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council have recently issued a guideline on improving education evaluation at all levels, from kindergartens to higher education institutions. The guideline states that local authorities should pay attention to the “all-round development” of students rather than focusing entirely on enrolment rates, with the aim of establishing a ‘world-class’ education system by 2035.

Along with many other areas where evaluation should be improved, the guideline stated that government bodies should “improve the evaluation of higher education institutions’ international cooperation, and promote the improvement of international exchanges, international student education, cooperation in running schools (transnational education), and the recruitment of foreign academics”.

Other priorities include bringing kindergartens into the quality assurance system; improving quality monitoring; exploring application-oriented evaluation standards for undergraduates based on professional skills; conducting outcome-based assessment for the “double first class” initiative; reforming evaluation of teaching staff to better account for those with both professional and academic qualifications; strengthening evaluation of students’ skills in physical education and art education; establishing better HE credit management systems; and improving recruitment systems for civil servants. One particular area mentioned several times in different contexts was moral and ideological education, where the guideline calls for both increased importance and better evaluation.

Analysis by Kevin Prest, Senior Analyst, International Education Services

The guideline points towards increased importance of quality assurance and evaluation in China’s education sector, across all levels of the education system. From a UK perspective the most relevant part of the announcement may be the application of this to transnational education partnerships, with many UK institutions delivering higher education in China in cooperation with a local university.

The guidelines do not contain any details regarding how the evaluation of TNE partnerships should be improved, but the policy is likely to be reflected in ongoing reforms to the regulations governing this type of partnership. A greater focus on quality evaluation could mean that Chinese education authorities set out clearer application requirements and increase monitoring requirements for ongoing programmes.

Sources:

1. Ministry of Education: CCP Central Committee and State Council issue "Overall Plan for Deepening Education Evaluation Reform in the New Era" (in Chinese) –http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xxgk/moe_1777/moe_1778/202010/t20201013_494381.html

2. Ministry of Education: Constructing a world-class education evaluation system in line with China's situation (in Chinese) – http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/s271/202010/t20201013_494379.html

3. China Daily: China issues guideline to deepen education evaluation reform – https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202010/14/WS5f8665c1a31024ad0ba7e957.html