China to start using revised textbooks for compulsory education

BEIJING -- China will start using revised textbooks covering three disciplines for compulsory education in the coming autumn semester, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Tuesday.

The revisions on ethics and rule of law, Chinese and history feature new archeological findings in studying the origin of Chinese civilization, and content to enhance education on national security and rule of law, according to the MOE. Meanwhile, the revisions have reduced difficulty in Chinese language studies.

These new textbooks will be used by the first grades of primary and middle schools this year. All grades of the nine-year compulsory education period will be covered within three years, the MOE said.

The ministry launched the textbook revision work in March 2022. Over 200 experts from universities, research institutions, and primary and middle schools participated in this task.

The MOE said the revised textbooks had been used on a trial basis at over 550 schools across the country, involving more than 2,000 teachers and 100,000 students.

All teachers who will use the revised textbooks for teaching are required to complete training by end of this month, the MOE said.