The following are the highlights of China's key education news from the past week:

-- Newly enrolled undergraduate, postgraduate students in China on the rise

The number of students newly admitted to undergraduate and postgraduate programs offered by higher education institutions across China increased by 3.87 percent and 6.43 percent respectively year on year in 2018, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE).

Last year, a total of 7.91 million people were newly enrolled in undergraduate programs. Meanwhile, 2018 recorded a total of 858,000 newly enrolled postgraduate students.

-- China to step up crackdown on malpractice in after-school institutions

The Chinese government announced that it will step up the campaign against malpractice in after-school institutions as schools across the country are beginning enrolling students for new semester.

The crackdown will target after-school institutions that set their curriculum too much ahead of the normal school curriculum or promise enrollment of good schools, said a statement from a State Council committee that supervises education services.

-- College entrance exam reform extends to more provinces

An ongoing reform of China's college entrance exam and enrolling system, under which students used to be selected for their performance on a single test, has been extended to cover more provinces in China, said the MOE.

Initiated in 2014, the reform aims to make the selection of students and their enrollment in universities a more scientific and fair procedure and promote education for students' all-around development.