Shanghai will advance its education reform with focus on nurturing talents catering to the demands of social and economic development, according to Zhou Yaming, director of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Education, at a press conference on Jan 17.

Zhou highlighted that the rapid pace of technological innovation and industrial transformation has presented challenges to the current talent pool in terms of their distribution across various fields and the skill sets they possess. In response to these challenges, Shanghai is committed to optimizing its basic education system while implementing significant reforms in higher education to cultivate a new generation of talents equipped with advanced skills.

One of the key strategies outlined by Zhou involves the establishment of a mechanism to analyze and organize information related to talent demand, alongside the implementation of an evaluation system that assesses the quality of education based on graduates' employability.

Furthermore, Zhou emphasized the importance of adopting differentiated approaches in talent cultivation across educational institutions. Leading universities are encouraged to focus on nurturing top-notch innovative talents, while applied universities are urged to integrate industry practices into their teaching methodologies. Skills-based universities, on the other hand, are advised to concentrate on developing specialized talents in specific fields.

Shanghai also aims to enhance the enrollment of undergraduate students majoring in science, engineering, agriculture and medicine by approximately 10 percent over the next three years. Additionally, there are plans to increase the number of graduate students by 5 percent, particularly in alignment with Shanghai's three leading industries and in accordance with the national development strategy.

Reflecting on the progress made thus far, Zhou highlighted Shanghai's achievements in expanding access to high-quality educational resources and fostering innovation at higher-level educational institutions. In 2024 alone, the city added 14,200 slots for public kindergartens and community daycare services, along with the establishment of 23 new secondary schools.

At the university level, Shanghai approved the establishment of four new universities authorized to grant doctoral and master's degrees, in addition to the creation of 110 urgently needed doctoral and master's degree programs. The city continues to excel in receiving awards such as the National Natural Science Award, showcasing its commitment to excellence in education and research.

Gu Yingjie contributed to this story.