BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Education, Science and Technology

Data in this chapter show the development of China's education and the basic conditions of the activities of China's science and technology.

I. The data on education cover the situations on postgraduates, higher education (universities and colleges), secondary education (specialized secondary schools, regular secondary schools, vocational secondary schools and schools for juvenile delinquents), primary education (primary schools), kindergarten education, special education (schools for the blind, deaf-mutes, and the retarded), adult education of various levels and categories (adult universities and colleges, adult secondary schools, and adult primary schools), and expenditure on education. The main indicators cover the number of schools, the number of students enrolled, the number of new students enrolled, the number of graduates, the number of staff and workers, the number of full-time teachers, sources and outlay of education fund, education expenditure from the state budget.

The Ministry of Education mainly provides statistical data on education and education funds. Data on the technical training schools are provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Detailed information can be found in “Statistical Yearbook on China Educational Undertakings” compiled by Department of Planning and Development, Ministry of Education; and the “Communiqué on the Implementation of National Education Funds” compiled jointly by Ministry of Education, National Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Finance.

II. Data on technology mainly include: condition of professional scientific and technological personnel of state-owned enterprises and institutions; scientific and technological institutions with independent accounting system, scientific and technological personnel in universities and colleges and various enterprises or institutions, funds raising and expenditure on scientific and technological activities, activities of R&D and scientific and technological achievements and prizes; condition on applied and certified patent applications by services and non-services both domestically and overseas; the situation of signed technological contracts on technological market; scientific and technological activities within scientific and technological system; major economic indicators of high and new-tech industrial zones and the condition of comprehensive technological service agencies and their business activities.

Statistical scope: data on scientific and technological activities include all institutions of the society engaged in those activities, they are mainly: large and medium-sized industrial enterprises, scientific and technological institutions with independent accounting system, universities and colleges, small industrial enterprises above designated size, the construction enterprises with first grade, transportation and telecommunication enterprises at and above prefecture level, agricultural and health care institutions at and above prefecture level, enterprises engaged in software development, units engaged in scientific and technological services and so on.

Sources of data: data on national level, various enterprises, medical and health care institutions and agricultural undertakings are from National Bureau of Statistics; data on scientific and technologic research institutions, technological markets and high and new-tech industrial zones are from Ministry of Science and Technology; data on scientific and technological activities in universities and colleges are from Ministry of Education; data on scientific research institutions for defense are from Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. Department of Organization of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and National Bureau of Statistics provide the data on the number of scientific and technological personnel. The China Association provides data on the scientific and technological activities of the associations for science and technology for Science and Technology. Data on the development of the mapping, meteorology, seismology, ocean, supervision and checking of the products quality and patents are provided separately by the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, China Meteorological Administration, China Seismological Bureau, National Bureau of Marine Administration, General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and State Intellectual Property Office.

Statistical methodology: data on industrial enterprises, scientific and technological institutions with independent accounting system and scientific and technological activities of universities and colleges are collected through complete surveys, of which data on large and medium-sized industrial enterprises are following the scheme of annual reporting system, and that of small industrial enterprises above the designated size are reporting the data every other year. Data on scientific and technological association, mapping, meteorology, seismology, ocean, supervision and checking of the products quality and patent applications are through sample surveys and other surveys. Data on construction, transportation, telecommunication, software industry, agriculture and health care are from rolling survey system with 5 years as one cycle.

Changes of the statistical scope of data on scientific and technological activities: before 2000, data only included large and medium-sized industrial enterprises, scientific research institutions with independent accounting system, and universities and colleges. Since 2000 (inclusive), data include: small industrial enterprises, construction sector, transportation sector, telecommunication sector, software sector, agriculture and health care agencies.