Introduction to the Development of Basic Education in China

Abstract

China has developed more rapidly than anywhere else in the world over the last three decades. In the 1980s the transformation began from a predominantly rural and peasant society to one where the majority have become urban dwellers with living a life fully integrated into mass consumption and an industrialised society free of agricultural dependence. The Chinese education system has contributed directly to the unprecedented rates of change that have reshaped the lives of most of the population through the investments in knowledge and skill that have enhanced the capabilities of the labour force and contributed to greater well being. At the same time the education system has evolved to reflect the rapid social and economic changes that have conditioned its growth and made a reality of nine-year compulsory education for all.