China has introduced its first-ever national action plan to build a "strong education nation" by 2035, aiming to enhance its education development, boost innovation efficiencies and contribute to building a "strong country."

Released by the Communist Party's central committee and the State Council on Sunday (Jan 19), the plan outlines the creation of a "high-quality education system" that ensures accessibility and achieves a standard of quality "among the best in the world."

The announcement follows recent data released on Friday showing that China's population declined for the third year in 2024, with the number of deaths surpassing a modest increase in births. Experts warn that this population downturn will likely worsen in the coming years.

A significant factor deterring many young Chinese from having children is the high childcare and education costs. This concern is compounded by uncertainties surrounding job prospects as the country grapples with sluggish economic growth.

"By 2035, an education powerhouse will be built," the state-run Xinhua news agency said. It added that China would seek to gradually expand the scope of free education, increase "high-quality" undergraduate enrollment, expand postgraduate education and increase the proportion of doctoral students.

The plan seeks to ensure the "healthy growth and all-round development of students" by mandating that primary and secondary school students engage in at least two hours of physical activity each day. This initiative aims to effectively manage and reduce rates of myopia, or near-sightedness, as well as obesity. The plan includes "popularising" mental health education and creating a national system for monitoring and issuing early warnings about student mental health, as stated in the announcement. It also focuses on reducing disparities between urban and rural regions by enhancing the infrastructure and resources of small-scale rural schools. Additionally, efforts will be made to improve support systems for children with disabilities and those from agricultural migrant families.

Another objective of the plan is to gradually expand the availability of kindergarten places and improve the accessibility of preschool education.