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On May 6, the MOE held a press conference in Chengdu, Sichuan province to announce the latest results after reforms were introduced for aesthetic education and to present the 6th College Student Art Exhibition. The conference was attended by Wang Dengfeng, Director General of the Department of Physical, Health and Arts Education under the MOE, Zhang Lantao, Deputy Director of the Education Department of Sichuan Province, Li Jinquan, Level-II Inspector of the Education Department of Jiangsu Province, and Ke Yang, Vice President of the Central Conservatory of Music. Chen Xing, Director of the Press Division of the General Office of the MOE chaired the event.
Wang noted that, to date, compulsory education institutions in most provinces were able to ensure that music and art courses accounted for no less than 9% of the total number of class hours in accordance with the national curriculum; 93.2% of senior high schools nationwide were able to offer six credits worth of required art courses; 80.7% of secondary vocational schools nationwide included 72-hours of art courses in the required courses portfolio; and 87.6% of HEIs offered art courses for all students.
The number of arts teachers in compulsory education nationwide increased at an annual rate of 7.8%, from 599,000 in 2015 to 778,000 in 2020, marking an increase of 179,000 in five years. The proportion of arts teachers to total full-time teachers raised from 6.5% in 2015 to 7.6% in 2020, up 1.1 percentage points.
Wang also said that the number of dedicated arts classrooms in primary and secondary schools witnessed a dramatic increase with significant improvement in aesthetic education facilities. By the end of 2019, the qualification rate of classroom equipment and supplies for art and music at primary, junior and senior high schools across the country reached 95.07%, 96.12% and 93.26%, respectively, marking an increase of 36.60%, 20.16% and 8.67% over the past five years.
Wang introduced future plans for the reform in the organization of student art exhibitions and performances at all education levels across China: all education institutions were required to organize regular art events; and provincial and national art events should be held annually and an across-the-board art exhibition once every three years.
He also stressed the need to introduce a system for student artistic ability assessment, enhance quality evaluation of art courses and promote pilot programs of incorporating art evaluation into the Senior High School Entrance Examination.