The government supports private educational organizations. The
first Law on Promotion of Private Education came into effect on
September 1, 2003.
Development of private schools means an increase in overall
education supply and a change in the traditional pattern of
government-only schools, so as to meet educational needs. At the
end of 2004, there were more than 70,000 private schools of all
types and level, with a total enrollment of 14.16 million,
including 1,279 private institutes of higher learning, with a total
enrollment of 1.81 million.
Private schools have pioneered cooperation with foreign partners in
the running of schools and many foreign universities have entered
China this way, which has both enriched China's education resources
and opened new channels for students' further studies.
