教育部明确2026年重点任务，新增高教资源向人口大省、中西部倾斜

Group 1 - The Ministry of Education will initiate a new round of "Double First-Class" construction in 2026, focusing on high-quality development of local ordinary universities and aligning applied universities with regional strategic needs [1] - The expansion of the "Double First-Class" initiative will consider universities' performance in national scientific awards and their breakthroughs in fundamental disciplines [1] - The Ministry of Education aims to optimize the distribution of higher education resources, particularly directing new resources towards populous provinces and central and western regions [2] Group 2 - In January 2024, the Ministry of Education announced the approval of 15 new undergraduate institutions, with 9 located in central and western regions, highlighting a trend of addressing educational shortfalls in these areas [2] - The number of ordinary high school enrollments in China has been increasing, with 2024 seeing a record enrollment of 10.36 million, marking a significant rise of 684,000 from the previous year [3] - The overall admission rate for ordinary high schools in 2024 is projected to exceed 60%, reaching 61.02%, indicating a growing accessibility to high school education [3]