Beijing, PRC, December 17, 2009 – China Distance Education Holdings Limited (NYSE: DL) (“CDEL” or the “Company”), a leading provider of online education in China focusing on professional education, today announced that the Company has obtained approval to offer study process monitoring programs for self-taught higher education learners in Jiangsu Province, and has signed a multi-year contract with the Jiangsu Provincial Education Examination Authority (“Jiangsu EEA”), the designated administrator of self-taught higher education in Jiangsu, to offer the program.

The self-taught higher education program is a self-study program designed to allow learners in China to obtain post-secondary education without having to pass the Uniform Entrance Exams (“Gaokao”) or attend a traditional college or university. Degrees are granted by the Ministry of Education (“MOE”) to self-taught learners who have passed all exams relating to the diploma or degree courses and who satisfy certain other requirements. Traditionally, 100% of the credits needed to pass s e l f -taught programs are earned through final exam scores administered by the MOE. Through CDEL’s study process monitoring program, learners can earn up to 30% of their credits from attendance, assignments and quizzes. The program is designed to foster meaningful learning habits and strengthen the overall educational process.

Mr. Zhengdong Zhu, Chairman and CEO of CDEL commented, “Following the successful program launch in Tianjin and the earlier contract from Beijing, this new partnership with Jiangsu EEA is another major achievement for our self-taught learning program. Jiangsu, a major province on China’s east coast, represents a significant market opportunity. According to statistics, each year there are approximately ten million self-taught higher education examination takers nationwide, with Jiangsu accounting for roughly one million. We expect to see enrollment contribution from Jiangsu’s study process monitoring program in fiscal year 2010.

“We believe our high quality online courses tailored for self-taught learners, and our 24/7 online and live support, help students study more effectively which in turn improves students’ passing rates. In addition, our study monitoring program will support the Jiangsu EEA’s efforts to more effectively monitor self-taught learners’ study progress, creating a win-win situation. The acceptance of our program by the Jiangsu EEA is a clear indication of the solid reputation we have built in the education industry in China and particularly in the self-taught higher education market, and we remain fully committed to further expanding the program offering to a wider geographic region.”

About China Distance Education Holdings Limited
China Distance Education Holdings Limited is a leading provider of online education in China focusing on professional education.The courses offered by the Company are designed to help professionals and other course participants obtain and maintain the skills, licenses and certifications necessary to pursue careers in China in the areas of accounting, law, healthcare, construction engineering, information technology and other industries. The Company also offers online test preparation courses to self-taught learners pursuing higher education diplomas or degrees and to secondary school and college students preparing for various academic and entrance exams.In addition, the Company offers online foreign language courses.

CDEL Contacts:
China Distance Education Holdings Limited	Investor Relations (HK):
Lingling Kong, Investor Relations Manager	Ruby Yim, Managing Director
Tel: +861082319999 ext 191	Taylor Rafferty
Email:IR@cdeledu.com	Tel: +852-2167-2008
	Email: cdel@taylor-rafferty.com
Investor Relations (US):
Mahmoud Siddig, Director
Taylor Rafferty
Tel: +1 (212) 889-4350
Email:cdel@taylor-rafferty.com