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Understanding Education in China

The world's largest and fastest growing market, China has become the embodiment of opportunity in today's global marketplace. Its potential, both in terms of sheer numbers (1.3 billion people) and ever-increasing purchasing power, is unrivaled. But to many, this burgeoning market is still very foreign. Overcoming cultural barriers and grasping the nuances of Chinese business practices is only the first step. For educational publishers, doing business in China means understanding an entirely new--and massive--education system.

Numbers
According to Wangquan Zheng, Assistant to the Chief Editor at People's Education Press (China), there are approximately 220 million students within China's education system, compared with a total enrollment of 58,069 in the U.S. See the table below for a complete breakdown by grade level.

School Enrollment by Grade Level

*Source:  U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, October 2005.

Administrative Structure
China's Ministry of Education maintains a large amount of control over education policy, planning, evaluation, and budget. The result is a hierarchical structure much more vertical in nature than that of the United States. Click here to view a graph of this hierarchy.

Grade Structure
Preschool - 3 years
Elementary - 6 years
Secondary - 6 years
Undergraduate - 4 years
Masters degree - 3 years
Doctoral degree - 3 years

Curricula
Students generally learn similar subjects to those taught in American schools, but foreign language is stressed more. Primary schools are encouraged to teach English from the third grade on, and about 90% of students in China's schools are currently enrolled in an English class.

In 2001 China's Ministry of Education passed education reform laws encouraging the development of new curricula, with a focus on student participation, active learning, and critical thinking.

While the scale of China's education system may seem overwhelming, there is encouraging news. A main goal of Chinese education reform efforts is to encourage diversity among educational materials and competition between publishers. For example, the law implemented a bidding system to replace provincial agencies that, in that past, had total control over publishing and distribution for that province. This makes it easier for new players to enter the market and compete.

Additionally, as classroom curriculum shifts away from rote memorization, the demand for products such as cooperative learning materials and integrated curricula is always increasing. American publishers who produce such materials will find promising market opportunities both in direct distribution and rights sales.

Finally, increasing household incomes make China a valuable target market, especially for publishers of educational materials.

"In China, we have a very long tradition of valuing education," said Zheng, "and because parents now have more money in their pockets, they want to buy more educational materials for their children."

Interested in finding out how you can tap into the Chinese market? Look for an announcement next week about a new international initiative from AEP, the American Collective Stand, and the Beijing International Book Fair.

Questions, ideas, or in need of more information? Please contact Stacey Pusey at 856-241-7772.

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