China’s State Council pledges more arts education funding

World Today

The Chinese government has pledged to put more emphasis on art education in schools, including more resources and time into teaching art, music, and drama, according to a report issued by the State Council on Monday.

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Generally speaking, art education in Chinese schools is believed to be inadequate and has been sidelined, compared to schools in western countries.

Due to the pressures resulting from the gaokao, China’s national college entrance exam, art education in Chinese schools has long been considered subordinate to other compulsory courses such as Chinese, math, and English — subjects in which students will be tested on in the exam.

The government report required that “all schools at compulsory education levels must run music and painting lessons” and the report promised to put more investment in art education by hiring qualified teachers and providing more facilities.

Story by CCTV News