https://www.scmp.com/rss/523878/feed The latest news and top stories on the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. A Beijing-based governmental body, the Ministry of Education is dedicated to overseeing and regulating China’s education system. Its main areas of focus include developing educational policies, standardising curriculum and textbooks, accrediting institutions and teachers and funding national universities. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Nearly five decades ago, in 1978, a dozen or so professors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) were on a mission to visit their American counterparts as well as research institutes and factories across the United States. The visit, said to be personally approved by then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, was designed to forge academic ties and led to sister-school agreements with four prestigious US universities, including the University of Michigan (UM). It was a pivotal moment in academic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345807/us-universities-retreat-china-partnerships-who-filling-academic-void?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345807/us-universities-retreat-china-partnerships-who-filling-academic-void?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 22:00:11 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times The Korea Times is hosting its third Korean Language Speaking Contest, offering participants a chance to showcase their Korean language skills and compete for prizes worth a total of 12 million won (US$8,150). The contest, which runs until May 7, drew about 1,800 applicants last year, reflecting growing global interest in Korean language and culture, according to The Korea Times. This year, one award recipient currently enrolled in a Korean university or graduate school will be offered a summer... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3345659/korean-language-speaking-contest-offers-prizes-and-internship-non-native-speakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3345659/korean-language-speaking-contest-offers-prizes-and-internship-non-native-speakers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu When the results of China’s gruelling National Higher Education Entrance Examination – or gaokao – were released last summer, Lin Gangming was surprised to learn that he had scored high enough to attend some of the country’s top universities. But instead of chasing prestige, the student from Yangjiang, a small coastal city in Guangdong province, chose a different path: Shenzhen Polytechnic University – a public undergraduate vocational college in the province. Stories like Lin’s, covered by the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344145/chinas-vocational-degrees-rising-students-seek-skills-over-prestigious-universities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344145/chinas-vocational-degrees-rising-students-seek-skills-over-prestigious-universities?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 02:00:09 +0000 dpa dpa The British expert who led a review into children’s gender healthcare says young people have been “weaponised” and misled about the realities of transitioning by social media. Hilary Cass, a doctor, whose review of National Health Service (NHS) gender care for under-18s led to sweeping changes including a ban on puberty blockers, welcomed the draft published by Britain’s Department for Education earlier this week but accepted it is impossible for it to be “completely foolproof”. Baroness Cass... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343635/uk-doctor-who-led-gender-healthcare-review-says-children-weaponised-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343635/uk-doctor-who-led-gender-healthcare-review-says-children-weaponised-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 11:34:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Interpol issued a red notice for the arrest of one of Indonesia’s biggest oil tycoons over a US$285 million corruption scandal, police said late on Sunday. Mohammad Riza Chalid, 66, nicknamed the “gasoline godfather”, is wanted in Indonesia for his alleged involvement in corruption at state-owned oil company Pertamina between 2018 and 2023, including for money laundering and manipulating a lease agreement. Untung Widyatmoko, secretary of Interpol’s Indonesia National Central Bureau, said a red... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342062/interpol-issues-red-notice-indonesian-oil-tycoon-us285-million-corruption-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342062/interpol-issues-red-notice-indonesian-oil-tycoon-us285-million-corruption-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 06:12:52 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen For years, many of mainland China’s art students dreamed of working or studying in Europe. After hours spent poring over the works of the continent’s masters as part of their degree requirements, living where their pieces are preserved, displayed and appreciated would seem a natural fit. But with funding and hiring freezes striking numerous overseas art programmes and museums, that path grows less appealing by the day. Now, rather than relocate to a new continent to further their studies, more... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338750/mainland-chinas-art-grads-sculpt-career-passports-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338750/mainland-chinas-art-grads-sculpt-career-passports-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:00:13 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Recent viral clips in Japan of bullying, including one which later led to a mass murder revenge threat, have sparked concerns in the country about school violence. The latest case centres on an email message sent to the board of education in Oita city, in Kyushu, at 11pm on January 11 warning of an imminent attack. “On Thursday, January 15, I will intrude into the junior high school where the bullying video spread, together with several accomplices, and carry out a mass killing of students and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340191/viral-bullying-clips-mass-murder-threat-sound-alarm-japan-over-school-violence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340191/viral-bullying-clips-mass-murder-threat-sound-alarm-japan-over-school-violence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 01:30:13 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan Four teaching staff at a university in South Korea have been fined for taking exams for students to boost test scores in an attempt to keep their department from being shut down. On December 22, the Gwangju District Court in Gwangju city in the southern part of the country fined three professors and a teaching assistant between 1.5 million and 6 million won (US$1,000 and US$4,000) for “obstructing academic operations”. The name of the university where they work was not revealed in a report of... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3337722/korean-professors-fined-taking-tests-students-inflate-scores-prevent-budget-cuts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3337722/korean-professors-fined-taking-tests-students-inflate-scores-prevent-budget-cuts?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 08:00:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Sri Lanka launched a criminal investigation on Friday after a government syllabus for 11- and 12-year-olds directed pupils to a gay chat website to improve their language skills. The Education Ministry lodged a formal complaint with police and launched an internal inquiry to establish how the blunder took place. “We suspect sabotage,” Education Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewe said. “We are in the process of implementing educational reforms, and this could be an attempt to stall them.” The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3338526/sri-lanka-probes-curriculum-error-linking-11-year-olds-gay-chat-site-show-your-kinky-side?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3338526/sri-lanka-probes-curriculum-error-linking-11-year-olds-gay-chat-site-show-your-kinky-side?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 09:05:27 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim A viral video has reignited a debate on elite schools in Singapore, with users sharing their own childhood experiences and views on whether such an educational environment may lead to insular views of society and indifference to those less better off. In an online clip, user Erica Lee recounts her time in an elite primary school and how her classmates’ families travelled several times a year for the holidays, had chauffeurs to ferry them to and from school, and threw extravagant birthday parties... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3338332/debate-singapores-elite-schools-flares-ex-student-recalls-privileged-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3338332/debate-singapores-elite-schools-flares-ex-student-recalls-privileged-years?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 04:00:15 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang China has unveiled new legislation to promote ethnic unity and the use of standard Chinese, warning of legal penalties for those who obstruct the use of the national language and linking its approach with national security policy. A draft Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress underwent its second review by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislative body, last week and will be open for public consultation until January 25. Meanwhile, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3338136/china-unveils-new-ethnic-unity-and-language-laws-national-security-perspective?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3338136/china-unveils-new-ethnic-unity-and-language-laws-national-security-perspective?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:00:08 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippines’ largest-ever education budget has been hailed by teachers and education advocates, but many have also warned that money alone cannot reverse years of weak learning outcomes and chronic teacher and classroom shortages. Last month, the Senate approved a 1.37 trillion peso (US$23 billion) allocation for education, the largest in the country’s history. It is equivalent to about 4 per cent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product, aligning for the first time with UN recommendations... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3337824/philippines-u23-billion-education-budget-highest-ever-will-it-make-grade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3337824/philippines-u23-billion-education-budget-highest-ever-will-it-make-grade?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 00:00:10 +0000 Bernard Chan Bernard Chan China’s National Press and Publication Administration introduced gaming regulations for under 18s in 2019, including a curfew and daily playing time limits of 90 minutes on weekdays and three hours at weekends and on public holidays. When the authorities tightened the rules in 2021, some Western media characterised the measures as draconian and a textbook example of state overreach. Since then, the regulation of minors’ online activity has attracted wider attention as more governments grapple... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3337434/west-getting-same-page-china-childrens-social-media-use?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3337434/west-getting-same-page-china-childrens-social-media-use?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China has launched a national-level service platform to help returning overseas students find work and start businesses, as the country steps up its efforts to attract talent and the number of returnees surges. The Ministry of Education has partnered with 50 organisations to provide returnees with entrepreneurial mentors and match them directly with local government and corporate needs. The measures show the value of overseas returnees is still recognised at the national level, despite recent... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336586/china-offers-more-support-returning-overseas-students-influx-grows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336586/china-offers-more-support-returning-overseas-students-influx-grows?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 07:00:09 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg A group of civilians including two former government officials, filed a corruption complaint against Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte, in a fresh political challenge for the estranged deputy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. The complaint, filed with the Ombudsman’s office on Friday, alleged that Duterte and 15 other officials, misused 612.5 million pesos (US$10.4 million) in public funds through “coordinated schemes” implemented across both the Office of the Vice-President and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336233/philippines-vice-president-duterte-faces-new-corruption-charges-sparking-political-storm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336233/philippines-vice-president-duterte-faces-new-corruption-charges-sparking-political-storm?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 09:30:22 +0000 Shi Huang Shi Huang A new Chinese AI system called Wen Dao – billed as the world’s first such model to be designed explicitly for ethical risk detection – has landed in the middle of its first major moral dilemma. Its immediate challenge is to navigate one of 2025’s most explosive social debates: whether the country should automatically seal the records of convicted drug users under the newly revised Public Security Administration Punishments Law. Effective January 1, an amendment to the law known as Article 136... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335076/worlds-first-ethical-ai-wades-thorny-debate-over-chinas-new-drug-abuse-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335076/worlds-first-ethical-ai-wades-thorny-debate-over-chinas-new-drug-abuse-law?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 09:00:09 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof A Malaysian police chief has called for the wider imposition of caning in schools, arguing that the “fear factor” among students has eroded at a time when violent incidents, including bullying-related deaths, are drawing alarm in the country. Selangor state police chief Shazeli Kahar said caning should be considered in a phased and “controlled” manner to prevent teacher abuse, and was needed to address what he described as a worrying rise in student-related crime across the state. His remarks... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3334473/malaysian-police-chief-urges-more-caning-schools-rues-loss-fear-factor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3334473/malaysian-police-chief-urges-more-caning-schools-rues-loss-fear-factor?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 06:02:19 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words I run a leadership development programme at the University of Hong Kong for mid-career professionals and executives from around the world. Many of our participants come from the Belt and Road Initiative countries and other emerging economies, and we have encountered difficulties... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3333906/hong-kong-should-consider-easing-visa-rules-belt-and-road-partners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3333906/hong-kong-should-consider-easing-visa-rules-belt-and-road-partners?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 03:30:11 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng China’s top defence university is piloting a scheme that allows PhD students to graduate with a product or design instead of a thesis in an effort to solve “bottleneck” engineering problems amid the tech race with the United States. Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) – dubbed one of China’s “Seven Sons of National Defence” because of its contributions to defence research and technology – is exploring new approaches to fostering engineers. These include removing traditional academic papers as a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3333836/chinas-new-tech-war-tactics-phd-students-can-now-graduate-product-instead-thesis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3333836/chinas-new-tech-war-tactics-phd-students-can-now-graduate-product-instead-thesis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 02:00:49 +0000 Mandy Zuo Mandy Zuo China is preparing for an unprecedented wave of new university graduates next summer – a record 12.7 million outgoing students – intensifying pressure on an already strained job market and a slowing economy. The 2026 cohort will be about 4 per cent larger than the 12.22 million graduates in 2025 – an additional 480,000 young people competing for jobs, according to the Ministry of Education. It announced the figures on Thursday, as it launched new campaigns to ensure sufficient opportunities. The... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333652/china-braces-record-127-million-graduates-entering-tight-job-market-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333652/china-braces-record-127-million-graduates-entering-tight-job-market-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 07:00:08 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat Japan risked turning the entire country into a battlefield if it intervened militarily in the Taiwan Strait, an article published by Beijing’s military mouthpiece PLA Daily warned on Sunday, marking the latest escalation in a diplomatic clash sparked by comments from the Japanese leader. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told the Japanese parliament on November 7 that the use of force against Taiwan could be seen as a “survival-threatening situation”, a scenario that would allow Tokyo to deploy its... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332970/pla-daily-warns-japan-path-no-return-if-its-military-intervenes-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332970/pla-daily-warns-japan-path-no-return-if-its-military-intervenes-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 07:13:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press What should have been a five-minute time-saving walk from Mexico’s National Palace to the Education Ministry for President Claudia Sheinbaum has become a symbol of what Mexican women face every day after a video captured a drunk man groping the country’s first woman president. On Wednesday, gender violence catapulted to the highest-profile platform, and Sheinbaum used her daily press briefing to say that she had pressed charges against the man. She also called on states to scrutinise their laws... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3331688/man-arrested-groping-mexico-president-claudia-sheinbaum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3331688/man-arrested-groping-mexico-president-claudia-sheinbaum?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 16:58:57 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times A bill restricting private English tuition for young children is gaining traction in South Korea, with both liberal and conservative authorities uniting to tackle excessive academic pressure on preschoolers. Representative Kang Kyung-sook of the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party, who is leading the legislative effort, said passage of the bill appeared likely amid rising support from superintendents of education offices across the country. “We are viewing the possibility of passing this bill... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3331623/south-korea-weighs-ban-english-education-pre-school-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3331623/south-korea-weighs-ban-english-education-pre-school-children?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 08:56:20 +0000 The Star The Star The family of a five-year-old boy who died in a school van in Malaysia’s Johor state has filed a negligence lawsuit against five parties, including the education ministry, seeking 2.08 million ringgit (US$495,831) in damages. The boy’s parents, Teo Jia Meng and Yu Yue Yang, named Tadika Perintis Indah, YK Educational Group, Double Tree Transport, van driver Yau Chee Weng and the ministry as defendants. Their lawyer, Ng Kian Nam, said the suit was filed over the defendants’ alleged negligence,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3330982/malaysian-family-files-us495800-lawsuit-after-boy-dies-school-van?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3330982/malaysian-family-files-us495800-lawsuit-after-boy-dies-school-van?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 01:37:00 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words I refer to the article, “Call to bar suspects in rape from key exams” (October 14). The popular view in Malaysia that four teenage rape suspects should be barred from sitting their final exams in a secure location far from the scene of their alleged crime is troubling. Although... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3329315/why-malaysias-gang-rape-suspects-still-deserve-education?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3329315/why-malaysias-gang-rape-suspects-still-deserve-education?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Oct 2025 03:30:09 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Police officers might be deployed in all schools and children aged 16 and below could be banned from using smartphones, Malaysia’s government said on Friday, after a string of violent crimes and bullying involving students that shocked the nation and forced the education ministry to admit to a culture of cover-up. Two cases of gang rape and a murder in three schools in the past fortnight have fuelled parents’ fears for their children’s safety and raised public concerns over a lack of official... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3329373/malaysias-rape-and-murder-cases-schools-spur-calls-end-cover-culture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3329373/malaysias-rape-and-murder-cases-schools-spur-calls-end-cover-culture?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 07:00:27 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese paper mills are using generative artificial intelligence tools to mass produce forged academic papers, a new investigation by the mainland’s state broadcaster has found. The report, which aired Sunday on China Central Television’s (CCTV) “Financial Investigation” programme, found paper mill workers using generative AI chatbots to help them each complete over 30 academic articles a week. Paper mills that sell authorship or fabricate entire papers are a staple of China’s competitive... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3328966/ai-powered-fraud-chinese-paper-mills-are-mass-producing-fake-academic-research?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3328966/ai-powered-fraud-chinese-paper-mills-are-mass-producing-fake-academic-research?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 23:00:18 +0000