Jiangsu province made significant progress in strengthening education in 2025, from research commercialization and digital transformation to student wellbeing and balanced access, according to the province's top 10 educational statistics of the year.

The province accelerated the development of a regional center for university technology transfer and commercialization. With strong policy support and sustained resource input, the center worked with four sub-centers to establish 32 public technology transfer service platforms.

Meanwhile, three basic research achievements from Nanjing University and Soochow University were selected among China's top 10 scientific advances. Guided by the provincial education authority, 37 universities and 18 high-tech zones promoted closer collaboration, leading to 342 joint R&D projects. More than 1,000 faculty members and students worked in industrial parks on a regular basis, serving over 560 enterprises, with total cooperation funding reaching 750 million yuan ($108.11 million).

Student health and holistic development remained a priority. Jiangsu launched targeted initiatives to ensure students engage in at least two hours of physical activity each day, with 15-minute class breaks. More than 100,000 football matches were held at various levels, involving nearly 55,000 teams and over 660,000 young participants.

Education capacity and inclusive services continued to expand. The province built or upgraded 30 high schools, adding more than 40,000 new student enrollment slots. A total of 1,260 kindergartens were renovated, creating 35,000 additional childcare slots. Free education for the final year of kindergarten was fully implemented, benefiting more than 650,000 children. Learning conditions were also improved, with over 46,000 air-conditioners installed in more than 32,000 classrooms across 1,543 schools.

Digital and AI-enabled education made notable advances. Jiangsu rolled out an initiative to use artificial intelligence to support high-quality education, releasing the world's first large language models dedicated to food science. The provincial AI education digital resource center was launched, while the Jiangsu Smart Education Platform attracted more than 318 million cumulative views through online programs.

Jiangsu students achieved outstanding results in major competitions. At the China International College Students' Innovation Competition 2025 finals held in Zhengzhou on Oct 15, universities from Jiangsu won 119 gold medals, ranking first nationwide. At the World Vocational College Skills Competition, Jiangsu also ranked first, securing 113 gold medals.

A new primary school is established in Lhasa, Xizang, by an education group from Nanjing, Jiangsu. [Photo/WeChat account: jsjyws_jeaie]

The province maintained its long-term commitment to educational support programs in less-developed regions. Jiangsu has established a comprehensive educational support system covering kindergarten through senior high school education in Xizang, and over the past five years has dispatched 1,671 teachers to Xinjiang.