BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The enrollment of master's degree students in China is likely to increase by 189,000 this year, said Vice Education Minister Weng Tiehui Friday.

"Meanwhile, the country's bachelor's degree programs will strive to admit an additional 322,000 junior college students in 2020 compared with the figure last year," Weng told reporters at a press conference.

The expansion has taken into account the needs of economic and social development, financial support capabilities and conditions of higher education institutions in China, she noted.

China has about 440,000 postgraduate student teachers and 12,000 master's degree awarding centers, with more than 2,000 of the centers established in recent years, according to Weng.  ■