Zhoushan will accelerate educational development and popularize the 15-year education process spanning preschool to high school from 2021 to 2025, according to the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) released by the local education bureau.

The plan states that by 2025, a total of 26,000 students are expected to study in local universities and vocational schools, while 3,200 students will pursue a master's degree in the city.

One of the highlights of the education plan is that artificial intelligence-assisted education will be promoted in Zhoushan's middle and primary schools.

AI laboratories will be established in more than 50 percent of middle and primary schools, and 10 middle and primary schools featuring AI-assisted education will be created.

By 2025, more than 40 percent of the middle and primary schools in Zhoushan will have friendly relations with overseas counterparts and carry out educational cooperation projects with schools in Shanghai and Ningbo.

From 2021 to 2025, the city plans to invest about 150 million yuan ($23.42 million) in improving the teaching facilities and campuses of high schools and optimizing their enrollment systems.

The plan also proposes the establishment of a relatively large-scale secondary vocational school and a 30-class, municipal-level comprehensive special education school that covers three-year preschool rehabilitation education, nine-year compulsory education, and three-year vocational high school education.

Moreover, one to two disciplines from Zhoushan universities will have international influence and two to three disciplines will be ranked among the top 1 percent in the world during the period.

By the end of the five-year period, teachers holding a master's degree or above in middle and high schools will account for 10 percent and 22 percent of the total teaching population respectively.