BEIJING - China's Ministry of Education has highlighted significant changes in the country's higher education landscape in response to the evolving demands of the economy and society.

During a press conference in Beijing on Thursday, the ministry revealed that over the past 12 years, 21,000 new undergraduate programs have been launched nationwide, while 12,000 programs deemed unsuitable for social and economic growth have been removed.

In 2024 alone, 1,673 new programs in fields that are of national strategic importance were established, while 1,670 programs were discontinued.

Wu Yan, vice-minister of education, emphasized that these adjustments represent a remarkable shift in academic structures across China.

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Looking ahead, Wu stated that future changes will focus on aligning educational offerings with national strategic needs, supporting regional development, and promoting the comprehensive development of students.

Currently, China has 1,308 universities offering courses across 816 majors, resulting in a total of 62,000 undergraduate programs nationwide.  

Balanced compulsory education

China has managed to ensure that all its 2,895 county-level regions are covered by quality compulsory education in a balanced way, Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng announced Thursday.

This achievement means that people's basic need of "having access to schools" has been satisfied, Huai told a press conference.

China has completed building the world's largest education system of quality, he said. Compulsory education involves primary schools and middle schools.

Concerning preschool education, the gross enrollment rate reached 91.1 percent at the end of last year, an increase of 26.6 percentage points from 2012, according to the minister.  

Physical activities

China will make sure that primary and middle school students engage in at least two hours of physical activities each day,  said Wang Jiayi, vice- minister of education, at a press conference on Thursday.

Every day, students will attend one sports class and an hour of physical exercise after class, said Wang.

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The move is aimed at solving common eye and weight problems among students by ensuring sufficient exposure to sunshine, he said.

In Beijing, the 10-minute break between classes for compulsory education has been extended to 15 minutes starting this autumn semester

Municipal education authorities said the decision aims to provide teachers and students with ample break time between classes, while also encouraging students to spend time outdoors to further promote their physical and mental well-being.