BEIJING - China's higher education system has produced over 55 million graduates during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), a senior Chinese official said on Tuesday, highlighting the sector's role in supporting economic and social development.

During this period, vocational education accounted for over 70 percent of the skilled workers newly added to the country's modern industries, said Huai Jinpeng, minister of education, at a press conference.

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China's higher education institutions have won more than 75 percent of the country's national awards in natural science and technological invention over the past five years, Huai added.

"Chinese universities have achieved original breakthroughs in fields such as life sciences, quantum technology, artificial intelligence, materials science and space science, while also making progress in philosophy, social sciences, culture and the arts," the minister said. 

A breakthrough in pubilc education service

As for public education services, Huai said China has made new breakthroughs in delivering inclusive and high-quality public education services in recent years, with its basic education development reaching the average level of high-income countries.

The country has steadily expanded access to high-quality compulsory education, with 2,895 county-level regions nationwide achieving balanced development in this area. Since 2012, the gross enrollment rate for preschool education has risen by 27.5 percentage points, climbing from 64.5 percent to 92 percent, according to Huai.

Higher education has also become universal in China and the gross enrollment rate has more than doubled since 2012, rising from 30 percent to 60.8 percent today, he said. 

Needs of society: education reform

China has advanced comprehensive education reform to better address the needs of students and social and economic development, Huai said.

He said the country has been making adjustments to the allocation of education resources, moving away from a sole focus on higher education enrollment by developing middle schools in county-level regions and advancing reforms in senior high school and college entrance examinations.

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In the realm of higher education, China is also exploring ways to diversify students' development pathways. For instance, in the "outstanding engineer education and training program," postgraduate students can apply for academic degrees by submitting patents or product and project designs, Huai said.

This is a historic step in reforming a system where degrees are awarded solely on the basis of dissertations, he added.

China is also advancing reforms to better align the supply and demand of professionals, Huai said, noting that the country now releases an annual list of urgently needed disciplines to meet the needs of social and economic development.