China's first ordinance on senior citizen education became effective Sunday in north China's municipality of Tianjin, marking a milestone in the development of lifelong education.
The local administrative ordinance will be implemented by governments at various levels in Tianjin, a municipality neighboring Beijing.
The regulation says education for elderly people is an important part of China's education program, clarifies government functions and responsibilities in promoting senior education and specifies guidelines in developing senior education.
The regulation set a model for other areas in handling senior education and catered to the specific needs of elderly Chinese, according to Yan Chunlin, a local senior education expert.
Statistics show that 1.273 million Tianjin citizens are over the age of 60, accounting for 13.93 percent of the population, and the senior population is climbing at an annual rate of 3 percent.
Over 20,000 senior citizens are receiving education and training in 35 universities for the elderly in the port city. So far, there are over 20,000 universities for elderly across China with 1.7 million students.
(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2002)
