1994．第21卷第2期及第22卷第1期（Vol. 21 No. 2 & Vol. 22 No. 1）．pp. 87103
China's Educational Development in the 80's and its Prospect in the 90's
Education in China takes place in a national environment characterized by a huge population, a scarcity of per capita natural resources, a lower level of economic and technological development, and a low-ranking per capita GNP. The large school-age population has resulted in China's largest educational enterprise in the world. However, the lack of resources has hindered the development of education.
Since the eighties, the policy that puts emphasis on education development and reform has produced results in various sectors of education. In 1992, the number of children enrolled in pre-school institutions increased by 1.1 times of that in 1980. The total number of primary students dropped by 16.6% due to a drop in the number of school-age children, but the number of students entering primary school rose by 4%, making up a total of 97% of children at the school-entering age. The results of the restructuring of secondary education began to unfold, especially at the upper secondary level, where the ratio between vocational students and secondary students increased from 1:4.05 in 1980 to 1:0.95 in 1992. During the same period, the number of students at degree and sub-degree level rose by 91%, while the number of postgraduate students increased 3.3 folds. At present, the limited budgets for education and the low teachers' salaries have affected the stability of the teaching workforce and the quality of education. The recent "Program of Educational Reform and Development" promulgated by the Chinese government demands that authorities at various levels increase their investment in education from the present 12.7% to 15% of the total national expenditure in the next few years, and gradually increase the proportion of educational expenditure to GNP from 3% at present to 4% in the future.
Economic changes since the beginning of the nineties have led to revised aims of educational development by the Chinese government. Every school-age child will be given a place in school. Junior secondary education will be expanded. The illiteracy rate among those below fifteen will be strictly controlled. Upper secondary education in the major cities and coastal regions will undergo rapid growth. Different modes of middle-level vocational education will be developed across the country. The scope and quality of higher education will continue to be improved. In short, education in China will develop towards the lofty goal of education for all at the turn of the century.