Chaoyang district to increase student enrollments

Beijing's largest district within its urban area plans to increase its number of student enrollments by opening new schools or expanding campuses, to meet the rising demand from its huge population.

The Chaoyang district's education commission plans to open five new primary schools or high schools and expand some established schools this year, which could increase the capacity to enroll 8,200 more students, said Sun Qijun, the head of the commission, on Monday.

In 2014, the commission also plans to open 15 new kindergartens and finish expansion projects for 10 other kindergartens, which could help enroll 4,000 more children, according to Sun.

The district met huge pressure in recent two years from rising demand for education as both local residents and migrant workers witnessed a rising population of children eligible to enter school after a baby boom.

According to official statistics, the district has a population of 5.34 million, including 1.6 million migrant workers.

In order to allow more students to access high-quality education resources in its suburban areas, Chaoyang will launch a reform to customize the structure of its education sector by setting up 15 education communities, according to the commission.

Schools with high-quality resources are expected to establish more branches in suburban areas, the commission said.