BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The following are the highlights of China's key education news from the past week:
-- China to check recruitment qualifications of secondary vocational schools
The Ministry of Education has decided to check the recruitment qualifications of secondary vocational schools and publish the results on a regular basis.
Provincial-level education administrative departments were asked to coordinate and organize inspections of vocational schools to find out if there have been serious malpractices involving student recruitment and management, according to a ministry circular.
-- Popularity of online education grows rapidly in China
China saw rapid growth in online education last year, with the number of users of such services rising 29.7 percent year on year to 201 million, accounting for 24.3 percent of total internet users, according to a statistical report on internet development.
Around 194 million people in China accessed online education via mobile phones, up 63.3 percent compared with 2017, said the China Internet Network Information Center report.
Wider use of smart devices and improved quality and accessibility of mobile internet creates more opportunities for online education growth and makes learning via mobile devices much easier.
-- China aids 135 mln students in 2018
China has provided financial aid for 135 million students from preschool education to higher education in 2018, according to the Ministry of Education.
The investment was worth 204.3 billion yuan (about 30.4 billion U.S. dollars), up 8.54 percent from 2017, said Ma Jianbin, an official with the ministry, at a press conference.
