EDUCATION IN CHINA

Chapter 1 – Organisation and management of education in China
central government develops policies that serve as
general guidelines, while the local governments develop
more practical policies on how to implement the reform
according to their different circumstances.
The State Council provides important leadership in
education. Education is central to China’s deepening
economic and social reforms. A major reform of the
education system may require extensive adjustments of
various sectors of society. Thus, when the reform is ready
for implementation, it is announced by the State Council.
The State Council devises policies and strategies required
by the new reform and transmits these directly to local
governments instead of bureaus of education.
EDUCATIONAL INSPECTION
The Office of National Education Inspectorate, which
was re-established as a department in the Ministry of
Education in 1986, is the agency that manages national
educational inspection. In 2016, the office was renamed
the Bureau of Education Inspections. It also serves as
the Office of Education Inspection Committee of State
Council. China’s educational inspection system consists
of four administrative levels covering all provinces. The
responsibility of the Bureau of Education Inspections is
not only to monitor and examine the implementation of
state laws, regulations, principles and policies, but also
to evaluate and provide useful feedback to lower-level
governments and institutions. The bureau sets standards
and procedures for inspection, and organises inspections
at every level. In addition, the bureau is responsible for
monitoring and evaluating the quality of different types
of education institutions, as well as setting standards and
procedures for quality evaluation.
After every inspection exercise, comments and feedback
are forwarded to schools or lower-level governments.
In addition, the results of the inspections are publicly
reported. Education quality reports are published, and
they serve as an important reference for the government’s
future work.
Special inspections are conducted according to
the imperatives set by current reforms or in case of
emergencies. At present, four special subjects are
being inspected; three of these subjects are relevant to
compulsory education in rural areas. The first is improving
basic school conditions, like buildings and facilities, in
poor areas. The second subject is equitable development
of compulsory education, aimed at reducing gaps in
performance between rural and urban areas, through
more effective and equitable fiscal transfers. The third
is a nutrition improvement programme for compulsory
education students in rural areas. The last item is the
safety of school buses. This project was undertaken after
several school bus accidents.
China’s educational inspection system itself is being
reformed currently. The reform of the inspection system
is recognised as a breakthrough in transforming the
management role of the government in education. This
reform is also an important means to guaranteeing
the achievement of educational development goals.
Several policies have been adopted that will transform
the inspection system. They are described in Chapter 2.
EDUCATION FINANCING
AND MANAGEMENT
State budgetary allocation is the main source of funds
for education in China. China’s central treasury and
local treasuries contribute to education funding. This
arrangement is in line with a policy that encourages
diverse resource mobilisation, as delineated in Article 54
of the Education Law.
Investment in the education system in absolute terms
in China has continued to increase at a high rate, as
shown in Figure 1.2. China’s investment in education has
increased at a rate of 19% on average in the last ten years.
This trend of increased investment is due to government
laws and policies. The Education Law requires increased
government appropriations for education at all levels
proportional to the growth of the national economy. The
State Council is tasked with determining the appropriate
proportional increase in government appropriations for
education. Therefore China’s educational expenditure per
student, as well as teacher salaries, should see continued
growth.
Meanwhile, the Educational Law also stipulates that
government appropriation for education as percentage of
GDP should also continue to grow in accordance with the
country’s economic development and revenue growth. As
shown in Figure 1.3, education appropriations reached
the government goal of over 4% of GDP in 2012, which was
set by the National Medium and Long-Term Educational
Reform and Development Programme (2010-2020).
The management of educational funds involves
three major tasks: fundraising, appropriation and
supervision. The Department of Finance within the
Ministry of Education is in charge of these tasks. The
Funds Supervision Affairs Centre within the Ministry
of Education also plays an important role in funds
management.
14 – EDUCATION IN CHINA: A SNAPSHOT © OECD 2016