East China's Jiangsu province has made significant achievements in alleviating the pressure on primary and middle school students and improving vocational education, said the province's education officials.

Ge Daokai, director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, said all schools that provide compulsory education in Jiangsu have made efforts to offer after-class activities and reduce the burden of excessive homework and off-campus tutoring on students. The number of tutoring institutions in the province has fallen from more than 8,670 to 233.

Jiangsu's finance authority has also been providing 190 million yuan ($28.36 million) worth of subsidies every year to five less prosperous cities including Xuzhou, Huai'an and Suqian since 2020 to help their schools improve after-class services, according to Zhou Yajun, head of finance at the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education.

In addition, Jiangsu has made major efforts to improve its vocational education. For example, it now allows students in vocational schools to be admitted to higher education institutions, said Ge. In 2021, more than 70 percent of occupational middle school graduates in the province matriculated in institutions of higher learning, while over 20 percent of junior college students entered regular universities.