Zhang Qian

    zhqcindy@163.com

    To offer more places for primary and secondary school students, Shenzhen plans to build 11 new schools with 17,640 school places, including one junior high school, four primary schools and six nine-year schools, announced the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau last Friday.

    Among the 11 new schools, only two are going to be constructed in Futian and Yantian districts, which are inside of the former Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, and the rest will be built mostly on the outskirt of east Shenzhen.

    Two of the largest schools will be built in Longhua New Area with each school to hold around 2,520 students. The area, lying to the north of Futian District, has been a hot housing market in recent years due to its relatively low housing prices and proximity to the city center.

    The boom in population there requires more schools to be built. All of the area’s three new schools are to be located in Minzhi Subdistrict.

    In addition to the 11 new schools, the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau also announced it would renovate and expand 17 schools around the city to make more room for new students. Many schools are already under renovation and some finished their construction during the most recent Chinese New Year holiday break.

    The city is also mulling further construction of tertiary education institutions this year. Construction of four universities will be carried out this year.

    Sun Yat-sen University-Shenzhen received approval from the Ministry of Education on December 30 last year, and planning will be initiated soon. The university is expected to become the country’s top university thanks to a 10-year plan.

    The Harbin Institute of Technology in North China also will speed up the construction of its Shenzhen campus this year and hopes to recruit students starting in September. The Beijing Institute of Technology-Moscow University-Shenzhen, situated in Longgang District, also plans to enroll students this year.

    Shenzhen University of Technology, a new university, has already gained the Shenzhen Municipal Government’s approval to construct a campus and will be built in Pingshan New Area.

    The other four cooperated colleges are under negotiations with the government in terms of campus locations and academic programs.