In Depth: China Will Need to Spend More to Become an Education Powerhouse

China’s education system is poised for a major transformation, guided by the newly published “Outline for the Construction of a Strong Education Nation (2024-2035)” — in line with its goal of becoming an educational powerhouse.

But reform on a national scale requires money, a lot of it. And it’s here that the plan faces its greatest hurdle. While government funding for education has risen over the past decade, spending as a proportion of GDP has dropped, dipping below the internationally recognized benchmark of 4% in 2023.