Higher Education in China
Few education markets in the world are growing or changing as fast as China. The past ten years have been marked by an expansion of China's domestic education system, an explosive escalation in the number of Chinese students, and dramatic economic growth. The New York Times recently reported, "China has already pulled off one of the most remarkable expansions of education in modern times, increasing the number of undergraduates and people who hold doctoral degrees fivefold in 10 years." The Ministry of Education reported 25 million students enrolled in Chinese universities in October 2008. Today, China represents the largest domestic post-secondary enrolment anywhere in the world.
The educational transformation in China is in part due to the government's broader development strategy to rejuvenate the country through improving human resources.
In the 11th 5-Year Plan, education is a priority. The Chinese government plans to promote and ameliorate the development of educational institutions, with an emphasis on improving the quality of higher education. This is part of a broader government strategy to reduce socio-economic disparity and re-emphasize collective advancement rather than individual success, a goal of the last decade.
