CGTN: How China helps advance girls' and women's education worldwide
CGTN published an article examining how China contributes to the global progress of girls' and women's education. The article highlights China's efforts in improving education access at home and expanding cooperation abroad, showing how it supports equal opportunities for women and girls worldwide.
BEIJING, May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Since China and UNESCO jointly established the Prize for Girls' and Women's Education in 2015, a total of 20 projects from 19 countries have received the award, bringing better education opportunities to more than 6 million girls.
As the first UNESCO prize dedicated to girls' and women's education, the award reflects China's long-term commitment to advancing education for women and girls globally. Funded by the Chinese government, the Prize is conferred annually to two laureates and consists of an award of $50,000 each to further their work in this field.
China's commitment was highlighted again on Tuesday, when Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, met with Khaled El-Enany, director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Beijing.
Peng, a UNESCO special envoy for the advancement of girls' and women's education, said she is willing to continue fulfilling her duties as special envoy, strengthen cooperation with UNESCO and promote the continuous progress of girls' and women's education globally.
Building progress at home
In 1989, under the leadership of the All-China Women's Federation, the China Children and Teenagers' Foundation launched the Spring Bud Project to improve education opportunities for girls from impoverished families.
Since serving as the special envoy for the project in 2014, Peng has continued to promote its development. In 2019, she announced the Dream of the Future Action of the Spring Bud Project, an upgraded program aimed at helping more girls complete their education and pursue their dreams.
By the end of 2023, the project had raised 3.2 billion yuan ($451 million), supported 4.22 million girls across all 31 provincial-level regions and 56 ethnic groups, provided skills training for 527,000 girls, and offered one-to-one companionship and mental health services to 190,000 girls.
Its impact was recognized globally when it won the UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education in 2023.
The Spring Bud Project is also part of China's broader progress in ensuring equal access to education.
Since 2018, the net enrollment rate of school-age children has remained close to 100%, with almost no gender gap between boys and girls. In 2024, women accounted for 50.76% of students in higher education, while female postgraduate students made up 50.01%.
These figures show how education has become a strong foundation for women's development in China.
Sharing opportunities with the world
China is also helping more women and girls around the world gain access to education and training.
Through South-South cooperation, scholarships and technical exchanges, China has trained more than 200,000 female professionals from over 180 countries and regions. Since 2018, it has launched more than 100 training programs focused on women and children in developing countries.
Fajer Rabia Pasha, executive director of the Pakistan Alliance for Girls' Education, whose organization won the UNESCO Prize in 2023, said China has helped women and girls in developing countries gain access to education, training and leadership opportunities.
She said China has proved through action that its development benefits not only Chinese women, but also women around the world.
At the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women held in Beijing last year, China announced it would donate another $10 million to UN Women over the next five years and invite 50,000 women to China for exchange and training programs.
El-Enany Tuesday said UNESCO is grateful for China's valuable support and is ready to deepen cooperation with China to promote further development of girls' and women's education worldwide.
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