BEIJING -- China's Ministry of Education has issued curriculum standards for five basic courses in secondary vocational schools, aiming at clarifying the academic quality requirements and highlighting the characteristics of vocational education.

The new standards involve five courses, including mathematics, information technology, physical education and health, physics and chemistry.

They define the core values and curriculum objectives of the courses and clarify their content, the ministry said in a statement.

Compared with previous syllabus, the new curriculum standards focus on improving students' capability to solve problems and provide basis for phased evaluation and academic examination.