BRIEF INTRODUCTION

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

II. The data on education cover the situations on higher education (universities and colleges as well as college of postgraduates), 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 teachers, sources and outlay of education fund, education expenditure from the state budget.

Statistical data on education are mainly provided by the Department of Planning and Development, Ministry of Education. The data are collected and tabulated in accordance with the reporting scheme on educational statistics stipulated by the Ministry of Education. Date on education expenditure are provided by the Department of Financial Management of the Ministry of Education. In addition, data on the technical training schools are provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

III. The data on science and technology cover mainly the scale, composition, distribution and development of the scientific and technological activities, including the statistical data of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government as well as the departments concerned under the State Council on science and technology. Data on the basic conditions of the scientific and technological activities show in a summary way the number of institutions and personnel in scientific and technological institutions, large and medium-sized industrial enterprises and universities and colleges, the three main bodies engaged in the scientific and technological activities as well as their income and expenditure. The data are collected and tabulated in accordance with the annual reporting scheme on science and technology statistics of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence and the National Bureau of Statistics.

The data on the number of scientific and technological personnel are provided by the Bureau of Deployment, Department of Organization of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The statistical coverage includes the full-time persons engaged in the scientific and technological work and the persons with technical titles but now engaged in administrative or managerial work in the institutions or state-owned enterprises.

The data on scientific and technological results, encouragement and reward on scientific and technological achievements, technical market and the high-tech enterprises in the developed areas are provided by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The data on the scientific and technological activities of the associations for science and technology are provided by the China Association for Science and Technology.

The data on the development of the mapping, meteorology, technological supervision and other service departments for science and technology are provided separately by the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, China Meteorological Administration and State Administration of Technical Supervision and Quarantine.

The data on the number of patent applications examined and certified are provided by State Bureau of Intellectual Properties.

“China Statistical Yearbook on Science and Technology”, jointly compiled by the National Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry Science and Technology and published by China Statistics Press, provides more detailed statistical data on the scientific and technological activities and the trend of development since 1991.