China and the United States are both concerned with educational policy. Both countries have set educational goals for the year 2000. In each case, the countries are endeavoring to improve the education level of their citizens. China is looking to increase the amount of education available to children and to extend vocational and career training. China seems to be developing an educational program which will fulfill the needs of the country to continue to grow economically and preserve the ethical and moral culture of China. The goals the United States set are more concerned with quality of the student entering school, with increasing the test scores a student acquires, and with controlling the school environment.
China's seven main educational goals are:
1) Extend nine-year compulsory education to cover most of the country.
2) Popularize senior high school education on a trial basis in the big cities.
3) Have the majority of new farmers receive some vocational education.
4) Have all new industry workers receive some vocational/technical training.
5) Develop the moral and ethical character of the whole labor force.
6) Remodel institutions of higher learning and their educational programs.
7) Emphasize the development of 100 universities and a group of key disciplines needed for the next century. (Education Enjoys Renewed Favor, 8-11).
China began to reform its educational system in 1978 (Education Enjoys Renewed Favor, 8). In June of 1994, China held its second national conference on education. Its purpose was to plan an overall strategy for implementing the Outline Program for the Reform and Development of Education in China (Education Enjoys Renewed Favor, 8). The main thrust of the reforms is to further the establishment of the socialist market economy of China (Education Enjoys Renewed Favor, 9). Chinese Premier Li Peng has noted that the development of the socialist market econ...