China’s Ministry of Education has recently announced its work plan for 2018, setting out its priorities at all levels of education. As in previous years, international education makes up an important part of the work plan, with relevant aims and goals including:

• Continuing to implement the "Belt and Road Initiative". Work related to this initiative includes working with key provinces in central and western China to expand international education cooperation with Belt and Road countries; using Chinese government scholarships to support study abroad programmes, teacher training programmes and joint training with these countries; and expanding mutual recognition of academic degrees.
• Continuing to review regulations for transnational education and the corresponding implementation measures.
• Encouraging two-way student mobility and strengthening services for alumni and returned scholars
• Strengthening standards and mechanisms for quality assurance within China’s education system, including for international students who come to China.
• Promoting in-depth exchanges and cooperation between Mainland China and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
• Encouraging Chinese institutions to run branches overseas and implementing an action plan for the further development of Confucius Institutes.
• Strengthening bilateral and multilateral education exchanges and cooperation
• Participating in global education governance
• Strengthening the mechanism of People to People Dialogues between China and foreign countries.

More broadly, other priorities include continuing to roll out the new-format Gaokao examination; revising laws related to preschool education and vocational education; supporting private education; focusing on education development in less-developed rural and, central western parts of China; improving teacher training; increasing the proportion of students attending post-compulsory education at the high school level; supporting top universities under the “World Class Universities Project”; and focusing on employment and entrepreneurship of university and college graduates.

Analysis:

The Ministry of Education’s main priorities in 2018 have changed relatively little since the previous year, with important project such as development of rural and western provinces, the World Class Universities project and the Belt and Road initiative still taking centre stage.

One of the most important developments that UK institutions should keep an eye on in 2018 will be the review of TNE regulations, which is expected to be completed this year. This could have a major effect on UK universities setting up joint programmes, joint institutes and branch campuses in China.

There are also continued opportunities for UK universities to work with their Chinese counterparts on bilateral and multilateral research projects and student mobility. Two-way student mobility is becoming increasingly important, given the Ministry’s goal to increase the number of overseas students studying in China. Both national and many provincial governments offer scholarships for short-term as well as long-term study in China, which may prove attractive to UK students.

Source:

Ministry of Education Work Plan 2018 (in Chinese): http://www.moe.edu.cn/srcsite/A02/s7049/201802/t20180206_326950.html