China's basic education involves pre-school, nine-year
compulsory education from elementary to junior high school,
standard senior high school education, special education for
disabled children, and education for illiterate people.
China has over 200 million elementary and high school students,
who, together with pre-school children, account for one sixth of
the total population. For this reason the Central Government has
prioritized basic education as a key field of infrastructure
construction and educational development.
In recent years, senior high school education has developed
steadily. In 2004 enrollment was 8.215 million, 2.3 times that of
1988. Gross national enrollment in senior high schools has reached
43.8 percent, still lower than that of developed countries.
The government has created a special fund to improve conditions
in China's elementary and high schools, for new construction,
expansion and the re-building of run-down structures. Per-capita
educational expenditure for elementary and high school students has
grown greatly, teaching and research equipment, books and documents
being updated and replenished every year.
Government's aim for the development of China's basic education
system is to approach or attain the level of moderately-developed
countries by 2010.
