Decentralisation and the Development of Vocational Education in China‪.‬

Facing the increasing challenges that have arisen from greater global competition, China has undergone a series of educational reforms aimed at increasing its competitiveness on the international stage. (1) Since 1985, the Chinese Government has emphasised the importance of delegating authority over basic education to the local governments. "Responsibility of the local government and management by different ranks of local government" became the major tenet of educational reform. Under the policy of decentralisation in basic education, the roles and relationships of the central and local governments were strongly affected. Looking at the situation at the school level, what authority and autonomy over school administration, finances, curriculum and personnel have local governments gained? Did the major stakeholders, such as principals and teachers, gain more opportunities to participate in policymaking? Have they gained greater authority and responsibility, as the advocates of decentralisation policy expected? This paper represents an attempt to investigate the roles of both the central and local governments under the decentralisation policy, as well as the autonomy of schools in China. Through examining how decentralisation policy was implemented, our intention is to understand the nature of decentralisation in China, as well as to provide some suggestions for related policies on educational reform.