Xi seeks to upgrade China’s education system, boost global sway

CHINESE President Xi Jinping called on top officials to increase efforts to build a “high-quality” education system that has greater global influence.

China needs to set up world-class universities offering scientific courses that meet the nation’s major strategic needs, Xi told the Politburo at a group study on Monday (May 29), according to state television.

The country should seek to attract more overseas students, Xi said. 

Xi’s call to upgrade the country’s universities comes as the country contends with rising numbers of joblessness among young people.

In April, the youth unemployment rate hit a new high of 20.4 per cent – nearly four times the national level – and there are signs the situation may worsen as millions of new graduates enter the labour market over the summer. 

Senior officials earlier this month pledged to accelerate the building of a modern industrial system to maintain China’s edge globally.

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In 2021, the central government outlawed profits in swaths of the online education sector, almost destroying the industry and wiping out billions in market value. BLOOMBERG