BEIJING -- The Ministry of Education (MOE) Wednesday announced China now has a total of 12,300 vocational schools with over 26.8 million enrolled students, highlighting the importance of the education system.

Vocational schools nationwide have set up nearly 1,000 majors and 100,000 vocational training courses, recruiting an average of 9.3 million students each year, said Wang Jiping, an official with the MOE.

"China has established a vocational education system with Chinese characteristics, offering skills training for nearly all areas of the national economy," said Wang.

China has been highlighting the importance of vocational education in recent years, underlining its growing role in industrial upgrading, job creation and poverty alleviation.

In 2016, China's central government allocated 92.7 billion yuan (about $14.1 billion) to local governments to support elementary and vocational education.