Our Priorities

Every child in China now has access to free compulsory education services for primary and junior secondary. Despite this advance, the quality of basic education needs significant improvement.
 

Part of the problem is the disparity in the quality of education in schools across China. Especially in rural areas, headteachers and teachers may lack the necessary skills and effective training. 
 

Although the Chinese government's national curriculum calls for interactive teaching and learning, teachers need effective support to implement these reforms. In addition, schools often lack essential resources that would enable an optimal teaching-learning environment. 
 

These factors can contribute to low social and emotional well-being among certain students, especially those from ethnic minority communities, in remote rural areas, and children affected by migration. High social and emotional well-being correlates with better performance in school. 
 

UNICEF works with the Ministry of Education and partners to help schools with the most disadvantaged children to effectively implement Ministry of Education's child friendly policies, standards and curricula. We want happy engaged children learning better in child friendly schools with quality teachers who have access to effective teacher support systems. 
 

What is UNICEF doing with partners to provide more child friendly schools in China?

We work with Ministry of Education and partners, focusing on the most disadvantaged schools, to:

1. Devise a costed model of CFS that enables schools in disadvantaged areas to successfully implement Ministry of Education's child friendly quality school standards
    
2. Improve the social and emotional well-being of the most disadvantaged children, through a whole school Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and mental health education approach.
    
3. Provide professional support for teachers toward innovative and effective Teaching and Learning.  This includes: a mobile teacher support system; guidelines for teachers; digitalized teaching and teacher training technology with National Commission for Educational Technology; interactive and inquiry-based teaching and learning; bilingual education for ethnic minority children; headteacher training; and more.
    
4. Promote WASH in schools and positive child friendly school environments, including work on climate change education and disaster risk reduction. 
    
5. Research, Assessment, Knowledge Management for Evidence-based Advocacy and Policy Impact, which includes work with MoE on: policies and standards/guideline development, such as school supervision; and research and studies on emerging priorities, for example special education, and extent to which CFS improves learning in disadvantaged schools. 
    

Making a difference

UNICEF's work to promote child friendly equitable and quality Basic Education is improving conditions and making schools and learning more appealing for children.

You can help support quality education in China's schools. Take action by getting involved in your child's school environment and encouraging children to explore knowledge and ask questions. Or find out how you can support UNICEF's work today.