Report on the diversification of China’s education industry 2014

Since the beginning of 2014, two hot issues have emerged in China's private education sector.

First, in March this year, Premier Li Keqiang pointed out that “vocational education reforms should keep current with social progress”, emphasizing that “efforts should be made to develop vocational education and professionals that are suited to market needs, to create a merit-based but not diploma-oriented social atmosphere.” This statement opens up a new pathway for vocational education, serving as a beacon for the development of private and vocational schools in China. 

Second, an investment spree in the on-line education sector beginning the second half of 2013, has continued to make headlines in mainstream media. Internet behemoths are making inroads into this new business area, leading to turbocharged growth of the online education market. But a look at the private education market clearly shows that online education represents only a small proportion. In fact, the market is now growing at a slower pace, in its transition from “enclosure movement” to “intensive cultivation”. In this stage, How China’s private education groups diversify becomes especially vital.

Given these developments and hot issues in the education sector, Deloitte takes “diversification of education groups and development of online education” as the theme of this annual report, which discusses:

• an overview on the current development of China's private education sector
• an analysis of how international schools and training institutions are diversifying differently
• an overview of the current status of China’s online education and its challenges, as well as the way forward and opportunities.