Nanjing, China

Located along the Yangtze River, Nanjing is the capital city of the province of Jiangsu in the People’s Republic of China.
groups
City population
9,491,100
person
Member since
2024
Mayor
Mr Zhichang Chen
Focal point
Ms Shuang Yuan

Vision

Nanjing aims to lead the way in modernizing its education system by 2025, focusing on inclusivity, accessibility and flexibility in lifelong learning. The city is committed to improving citizens’ literacy in the humanities and sciences. By 2035, Nanjing plans to extend formal and informal lifelong learning to all citizens, especially disadvantaged groups, with performance indicators reaching the level of developed countries. Priority areas include offering online services related to health and well-being, fostering equity and inclusion through assistance for students with limited financial means, and providing vocational training to equip workers for the new industrial era.

Policies, plan and implementation

Sustainability and health
The city delivers courses on Yangtze River conservation and waste separation in schools, as well as environment-related disciplines in higher education. Additionally, the city promotes the Healthy Nanjing campaign, encouraging regular exercise and making fitness sites easily accessible in urban areas. These initiatives aim for harmonious coexistence between humans and nature while improving citizens’ well-being.
Equity and inclusion
Nanjing provides specialized educational programmes for older adults and the children of migrant workers and grants substantial financial assistance to students in need. Accessibility features include support for visually impaired readers in libraries, and a 15-year free basic education initiative specifically designed for children with disabilities.
Decent work and entrepreneurship
Nanjing supports decent work by providing employment-oriented vocational education. The city trains nearly 180,000 people annually in vocational skills, achieving a 95 per cent employment rate for these graduates. It also supports those facing employment difficulties and promotes fair pay. Entrepreneurship is encouraged through innovation competitions, business incubators and practical labour skills education in schools, aiming to instil a hands-on approach alongside academic learning.

Good practices

Parental capacity-building
Since 2017, six initiatives have been launched to address the educational gaps among parents in the city’s largest public housing area. These projects include mentorship from education experts and family education courses, all aimed at improving child-rearing, family dynamics and community governance.
Agriculture Corps Lecturer
This programme has the goal of promoting employability and helping local farmers to prosper. To date, the programme has organized more than 2,200 training sessions and skills-related advisory meetings. The programme has benefited more than 17,000 farmers who are now better equipped with agricultural knowledge, new skills and management expertise.
Jinling Academy
This community education project is run in cooperation with the district community college and offers 940 specialist courses.