Non-government-run education provides young people with more choices and better educational prospects. The first Law of Promoting Non-Government-Run Education of the PRC was promulgated on December 28, 2002 and will be implemented from September 1, 2003. Non-government-run schools are of diverse kinds, covering each level from kindergarten to regular college programs. By the end of 2001, there were some 56,274 non-government-run schools and educational institutions approved by education administrative departments at each level, with a total of over 9.23 million students, including 1,202 institutions of higher learning with more than 1.13 million registered students.
With relatively flexible thinking, non-government-run schools have taken the lead in cooperating with foreign universities, and it was through them that many foreign universities were introduced to China. Such cooperation has enriched China's education, and eased the way for Chinese students to pursue further studies. On the other hand, some non-government-run educational institutions owing to their late start are still in the stage of enhancing quality, strengthening internal administration, and establishing their names. And there is a long way to go before a cooperative pattern of non-government-run education and government-run education are really formed.
