A more operable learning city index for China

More than fifty people, comprising researchers, academics, education practitioners, representatives of the Chinese Ministry of Education, and education department officers from Beijing, Shanghai and other major Chinese cities, took part in the Chinese Learning Cities Index System Seminar, which was held in Beijing on 6 July 2015. The current Chinese learning cities index was devised by Prof. Xiaochuan Wu and Prof. Cuizhu Zhang of the Beijing Academy of Educational Sciences’ Vocational and Adult Education Institute. Prof. Xiaochuan and Prof. Cuizhu are leading experts in national learning cities index systems. In the seminar, participants assessed the current index system and discussed ways of making it more operable and ensuring that it provides learning cities with better guidance.  

The seminar’s participants came to the conclusion that China’s index system must be adaptable to a wide range of learning cities. It was agreed that all Chinese cities, no matter whether they are located in developed or developing parts of the country, should be able to implement the index. Furthermore, some researchers suggested that the index system should be able to accommodate a wide range of cultural, economic and social environments. China wishes to create an improved index system that will help shape a better future for learning cities.