Basic Information In 1999, Shanghai has more than 3,000 preschool and compulsory education schools. Of them, about 850 are middle schools, 1,200 are primary schools and 930 are kindergartens. Over 760,000 middle schools students and 871,000 primary school students are taught by 76,000 and 64,000 teaching staffs respectively. There are 158 vocational technology schools catering for 232,700 students. There are 41 institutions of higher learning that offer 3-year-diploma program and 4-year-undergraduate program to 200,000 students. Besides, the number of adult senior and higher education institutions is 138, with the total enrollment of 176,700 students.

Education Finance in 1999, the 'budgeted finance of education is RMB 6.8 billion Yuan, an increase of 12% over the year 1998. The total educational expenditure is RMB 9 billion Yuan, an increase of 20% over the year 1998. In order to diversify the funding of education, the following sources of 'unbudgeted' income have merged in recent years, such as students' fees, university-run enterprises, donations, services etc. In 1999, an income of RMB 1.3 billion Yuan is from the students' fees, RMB 300 million Yuan is from university-run enterprises, RMB 350 million is from donations and RMB 1.1 billion Yuan is from some other channels to fund the education. In 1999, the average expenditure for the primary school students is RMB 2804.11 Yuan, an increase of 21.6% over the year 1998; the average expenditure for the middle school students is RMB 4227.97 Yuan, an increase of 16.15% over the year 1998.

BASIC EDUCATION IN SHANGHAI

Shanghai has the country's most developed basic education system. It is the first city where the 9-year compulsory education implemented in China. The administration over the basic education schools has been delegated to the local government, where the local municipality, districts (counties) and villages (townships) jointly manage the schools. Recently, Shanghai has made the achievements in the following aspects:

1) Standardized School Project. The Project has been launched overall in the city in order to standardize the urban schools and rural schools in the areas of administration, teaching staff, capital construction, facilities etc. By 1999, 379 rural schools have successfully involved in the project.

2) Modern Boarding High School. 11 modern boarding high schools have been set up by 1999. There are altogether 400 classes catering for 20,000 students. These schools covers the total area of 1,700 Chinese mu and the construction area is 480,000 square meters. The whole investment is more than RMB 2 billion Yuan.

3) Minban (people-run) Schools. In accordance with the national policy ' Active Encouragement, great support, correct guidance and powerful management', Minban (people-run) basic education has developed quickly. There are altogether 159 Minban (people-run) primary and middle schools, accounting for 7.1% of total schools. Of them, there are 130 middle schools and 29 primary schools. The number of the students studying in Minban schools is 74,440, accounting for 4.4% of total students.

4) Competence-oriented Education. Great attention has been attached to developing both compulsory curriculum (Chinese, mathematics and English) and the extra-curriculum activities. Such hobby groups as sports, IT, environment protection, arts, painting have been set up to enrich students' school life.

5) Special Education. Special education of handicapped or mentally retarded children is an integral part of the city's preschool and elementary education, which is available not only in schools exclusively for the handicapped, but also in many ordinary schools. Blind children enrolled for compulsory education totaled nearly 100% in SH. The rate dropped to 70% in high schools. Almost all the deaf children in Shanghai receive compulsory education and the rate dropped to 63% in high schools. Nearly 100% of lightly retarede children go to school, while 94.9% if medium-retareded children go to school

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES

International exchange and co-operation in education has played an irreplaceable role in Shanghai's economic and social development.

Reform and opening up has propelled the city's international exchange in education. In 1999, Shanghai universities sent a total of 1,100 students to study abroad. Meanwhile, the city received 3,000 foreign students to study in local universities. Sino-foreign join-venture teaching programs reached 70. The city has now 12 schools for expatriate children. Some 420 foreign experts and teachers were working in various schools in Shanghai. The year also saw 59 international education seminars be convened in the city. A new trend in the international education exchange in 1999 was short-term academic visits by middle school students.

Sending Students Abroad

Between 1977 and 1988, Shanghai universities sent an accumulated 5,000 students to study abroad. Of the students, 2,000 have returned to China after finishing their study programs and become a leading force in science and research in the country.

The city adopts the policy of "support of studying abroad and encouragement of coming back" in the issue of studying abroad. In 1999, the city processed applications of 2,100 university and college graduates to study abroad.

Short-term academic visits by middle and high students have become popular in 1990s. More than 100 middle school students from Shanghai joined in programs, including summer camp, language class in foreign countries and regions in 1999.

Foreign Students Studying in Shanghai

In the 1990s, the city recorded a fast growth in receiving foreign students. In 1999, 24 universities and colleges in Shanghai received a combined 3,000 foreign students in study programs for at least one year. Of the foreign students, 2,200 were self-funded, making up 80 percent of the total; 350 students were on Master degree programs or advanced research projects, making up 15 percent. Another 2,305 foreign students from 101 countries came to the city for short-term study.

According to the provisions of Ministry of Education, local universities authorized to process Chinese government scholarships all have established procedures to process the scholarships to foreign students.

Joint-venture Schools

Co-operation with foreign education resources started in Shanghai in 1992. This new development in education affairs has become a new channel to introduce foreign education resources to the city. Up to 1999, more than 70 foreign-backed teaching programs had been opened in the city. These programs deal with high school, and advanced learning.

Schools For Expatiate Children

The opening of more foreign business offices and foreign-funded enterprises in Shanghai has resulted in the increase in expatriate families in the city. By 1999, 12 schools for expatriate children were open and enrolled 2,900 expatriate children.

Foreign Experts and Teachers

Since 1990s, the number of foreign education experts and teachers increased fast. Between 1990 and 1995, an accumulated 993 foreign experts and teachers worked in Shanghai's schools on long-term contracts whiles 4,539 foreign scholars work on short-term contracts. In 1999, Shanghai had 420 foreign experts and teachers working on long-term contracts in local schools while 1,200 foreign scholars came to local schools for short-term work. The work of foreign experts and teachers has produced a great benefit to the city's economic and social development.

International Seminars

International seminars created opportunities for exchange between Chinese and foreign scholars. The seminars will also bring the latest research development and information and help update education and research.

Incomplete statistics show that Shanghai Jiaotong University, Fudan University, Tongji University and other schools hosted a combined more than 100 international seminars, assembling a total of more than 8,000 foreign and 2,000 Chinese scholars.

During the 1990s, international seminars in Shanghai involved an increasingly high level scholars and have a growing influence.