Summary:

Earlier this year, China's Ministry of Education set out its work plan for 2017, which describes the country's main goals in the education sector this year.

Key priorities which may be relevant to UK institutions include:

1. Reducing regional inequality in higher education, including expanding enrolment in Central and Western China
2. Establishing an expert committee to define criteria, procedures and scope for the World-Class Universities and First-Class Disciplines projects
3. Accelerating the development of modern vocational education, including raising professional teaching standards of higher vocational colleges, developing a number of demonstration vocational education groups to guide support for non-government investment in vocational education, and starting a second batch of pilot projects for the Chinese modern apprenticeship system
4. Launching a new plan for promoting employment and entrepreneurship of university graduates
5. Continuing to strengthen teacher training systems and to develop professional accreditation standards and certification schemes for disciplines related to teacher education
6. Improving  education internationalisation through several means:
   
   • Increasing international cooperation through the Belt and Road Initiative
   • Promoting China as a student destination for international students (including through scholarships)
   • Improving scholarship/funding standards for state-funded Chinese students studying abroad
   • Continuing to support Chinese HEIs' introduction of foreign researchers and scholars
   • Amending the Regulations on Chinese-Foreign Cooperation in Running Schools and its Implementation Measures, which govern transnational education partnerships that deliver teaching in China.

Other priorities include improving funding mechanisms for compulsory education (ages 6-15), especially in rural areas; increasing doctoral student stipends; continuing to support reforms to the gaokao university entrance examination; encouraging more graduates to work in central and western regions as well as small and medium-sized enterprises; strengthening pre-school education and elderly education; and developing and publishing the "China Education Modernisation 2030" plan.

At the National People's Congress this March, Chinese premier Li Keqiang also summarised the MoE's main achievements in 2016, which include supporting expansion of pre-school education; providing guidance on accelerating the development of education in Central and Western China; issuing plans for education informationisation; promoting the increased popularisation of education at the high school level; the start of work in transforming local undergraduate institutions into Universities of Applied Technologies; and amending the law on non-state-funded education including creating a legal basis for for-profit schools.

Analysis by Kevin Prest and Xiaoxiao Liu:

Some of these goals may have an impact on UK institutions' partnerships in China. For example, the continuing attention paid to expanding and improving higher education in Western China means that partnerships in that region will be highly welcomed.

Government policies will also have a major impact on Chinese institutions' priorities, meaning that they are likely to be open to working with overseas partners in fields such as entrepreneurship education. The continuing attention paid to internationalisation – in terms of both teaching and research – also shows the value placed on this area by the Chinese government.

Sources:

1. Report on the Work of the Government (English): http://english.gov.cn/premier/news/2016/03/17/content_281475309417987.htm

2. MoE’s Work Plan in 2017 (Chinese): http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/moe_164/201702/t20170214_296203.html

3. http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/s7600/201703/t20170306_298336.html

4. http://learning.sohu.com/20170305/n482427152.shtml