China
In February 2006, the government pledged to provide completely free nine-year education, including textbooks and fees. Annual education investment went from less than US$50 billion in 2003 to more than US$250 billion in 2011. However, there remains an inequality in education spending. In 2010, the annual education expenditure per secondary school student in Beijing totalled ¥20,023, while in Guizhou, one of the poorest provinces in China, only totalled ¥3,204. Free compulsory education in China consists of primary school and junior secondary school between the ages of 6 and 15. In 2011, around 81.4% of Chinese have received secondary education. By 2007, there were 396,567 primary schools, 94,116 secondary schools, and 2,236 higher education institutions in China.
Private and public schools in China
Schools can be fully subsidized by the government in the People's Republic of China. These are public schools. Schools can also be partly subsidized by the government. That means that parents have to pay tuition fees and other fees required by the school. Other schools are fully private schools, meaning that the schools are not subsidized by the government. The introduction of private schools was an attempt by the government to increase the number of literate population. Private schools can claim the same legal status as public schools. Private schools are thought to require a high standard of service.