There are preschools, kindergartens, schools for the deaf and blind, key schools (similar to college preparatory schools), primary schools, secondary schools (comprising junior and senior middle schools, secondary agricultural and vocational schools, regular secondary schools, secondary teachers' schools, secondary technical schools, and secondary professional schools), and various institutions of higher learning (consisting of regular colleges and universities, professional colleges, and short-term vocational universities).
Chinese people have attained notable heights at primary, secondary and higher level of education. Though higher education lagging behind resources and hence growth is not very good at university / college level education. The China Compulsory Education Law came into force on July 1, 1986. The law establishes requirements and deadlines for attaining universal education tailored to local conditions and guaranteed school-age children the right to receive at least nine-year education (six year primary education and three years secondary education).
The compulsory education law divided Mainland China into three categories:
- Cities and economically developed areas in coastal provinces and a small number of developed areas in the hinterland;
- Towns and villages with medium development; and
- Economically backward areas.
The school drop out rates were high in 1980s; Statistics in the mid-1980s showed that more rural girls than boys dropped out of school. Another target of Chinese Education Reform in 1985 was preschool education, which began when a child attains three and half years of age.
The National Conference on Education held in 1985 identified the vitality of Special Education for gifted children and children with special needs.
The secondary school in China has two semesters. The academic curriculum at secondary education level consists of Chinese language, mathematics, physics, chemistry, geology, foreign language, history, geography, politics, physiology, music, fine arts, and physical education. Some middle schools also offered vocational subjects. Both regular and vocational secondary schools teach subjects which can be taken into practice in work life.
Under the educational reform tenets, polytechnic colleges were to give priority to admitting secondary vocational and technical school graduates and providing on-the-job training for qualified workers.
In 1987 there were four kinds of secondary vocational and technical schools:
- Technical schools that offered a four year, post-junior middle course and two- to three-year post-senior middle training in such fields as commerce, legal work, fine arts, and forestry;
- Workers’ training schools that accepted students whose senior-middle-school education consisted of two years of training in such trades as carpentry and welding;
- Vocational technical schools that accepted either junior-or senior-middle-school students for one- to three-year courses in cooking, tailoring, photography, and other services; and
- Agricultural middle schools that offered basic subjects and agricultural science.
There is a National College Entrance Examination system for admission into colleges and universities in China. The candidates who appear for this examination must be below 26 years of age and completed senior - middle - school or equivalent examination. Working professionals can also take this examination given they shall furnish letter of recommendation from the employer.
The number of institutions providing higher education rose higher than 1000 by 1985. The State Education Commission and the Ministry of Finance issued a joint statement for nationwide unified enrollment of adult students - not the regular secondary school graduates, but the members of the work force who qualified for admission by taking a test.
In July 1986, the State Council declared that the stipend system for university and college students would be replaced with a new scholarship and loan system.
Three categories of students eligible for aid were established:
- Top students encouraged to attain all-around excellence;
- Students specializing in education, agriculture, forestry, sports, and marine navigation; and
- Students willing to work in poor, remote, and border regions or under harsh conditions, such as in mining and engineering.
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