Over the past five years, Jiangsu has made sustained efforts to expand access to quality education and promote balanced development across urban and rural areas.

Inclusive kindergartens now account for nearly 92 percent of all preschools in the province. Air conditioning has been installed in all primary and secondary school classrooms, nearly 500,000 new senior high school places have been added, and a comprehensive student aid system backed by 50 billion yuan ($7.28 billion) in funding has been established.

These measures have significantly improved education equity.

Jiangsu has also aligned education more closely with broader development priorities. The country's first regional university technology transfer and commercialization center has advanced steadily, connecting with 5,501 research projects from universities nationwide and facilitating the commercialization of 270 scientific achievements.

High-tech zones and universities have pioneered a coordinated model, launching 342 joint R&D projects and establishing 58 industry innovation platforms. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), universities in the province won 43 National Science and Technology Awards, underscoring their strong innovation capacity.

In reform and opening-up, Jiangsu has taken bold steps. It was the first in the country to implement an action plan leveraging artificial intelligence to drive education development. A smart education platform now serves more than 8,100 primary and secondary schools across the province, enabling high-quality resources to reach both urban and rural communities. Meanwhile, the establishment of 30 Zheng He Colleges has further expanded the global reach of Jiangsu's education sector.