China pledges to improve secondary education coverage

China aims to increase secondary education coverage nationwide to 90 percent or more by 2020 from 87.5 percent in 2016, the Ministry of Education announced on Thursday.

Despite a rise in the gross enrollment rate of the country’s high schools, poor areas in central and western China still face a shortage of educational resources and slower development in secondary vocational education, said Lyu Yugang, senior official with the ministry, at a press conference.

There has been an imbalance between the development of high school education and secondary vocational education in affluent eastern China, added Lyu.

According to a plan released by the ministry on Thursday, China will promote secondary vocational education, and improve facilities in schools and the education funding mechanism from 2017 to 2020.

More resources will go to schools in poor and ethnic regions, and the right to education for students with disabilities as well as children of poor families and migrant workers should be ensured, Lyu said.