CDEL Wins 65 Industry Awards; Chairman and CEO Named a Top Leader in China's Education Industry

BEIJING, February 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- China Distance Education Holdings Limited (NYSE: DL) ("CDEL", or the "Company"), a leading provider of online education in China focusing on professional education, is pleased to announce that it has received a total of 65 awards presented at various education industry events during the course of 2012, a strong endorsement of the Company's leading position in China's online education market.

Mr. Zhengdong Zhu, the Chairman and CEO of CDEL, commented, "It is a great honor for me personally and for CDEL to be named alongside other outstanding peers, and I am grateful for the increasing recognition we have received from Chinese media, education associations and the professional educators' community. The honors testify to the quality and success of CDEL's results-oriented online education services model and are a further validation of our student-centric growth strategy. Looking ahead, we will continue developing innovative online and mobile learning platforms and providing high-quality courses and services to our broadening student base."

To view the full list of awards, and for further information on China Distance Education, please visit http://ir.cdeledu.com.

Select Awards Received by Mr. Zhengdong Zhu:

• "2012 Outstanding Contribution to the Education Industry" awarded at the Sina 2012 China Education Ceremony
• "Annual Education Industry Leader" awarded at the Tencent 2012 China Education Ceremony
• "2012 Top Ten Education Industry Leader" awarded at the NetEase 2012 Chinese Education Industry Review
• "Annual Education Industry Leader" awarded at the Xinhua Education Forum "The Voice of China Education"
• "Outstanding Contribution to China's Distance Education Industry Development" awarded at the People's Daily 2012 China Leading Brands Ceremony

Select Awards Received by CDEL:

• "Best Distance Education Brand in China with High Public Satisfaction" awarded at the Economy Magazine 2012 China Best Service Brands with High Public Satisfaction
• "2012 Top Ten Leaders in the Education Industry" awarded at the 9th Chinese Educationist of the General Assembly
• "2012 Most Credible Education Group" awarded at the Xinhua Education Forum "The Voice of China Education"
• "2012 Most Trustworthy Education Brands" awarded by Reference News
• "Prominent Contribution to the Decade's Education" awarded at the Beijing News "Golden Chalk" Education Review
• "Socially Responsible Education Group" awarded at the Beijing Youth Daily 2012 Education Industry Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Review Ceremony

Select Awards Received by CDEL's Websites and Schools:

• www.chinaacc.com: "2012 Most Recognized Online Education Institution by the Community" by Sina
• www.med66.com: "2012 China Leading Online Education Institution" by Tencent
• www.chinatat.com: "2012 Most Influential Online Education Institution" by Xinhuanet
• www.chinalawedu.com: "Top Ten Online Education Brands of the Year" by NetEase
• www.chinaacc.com: "Top Brand in China Education Industry" by Sohu

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 through its websites 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, 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 and offline business start-up training courses. For further information please visit http://ir.cdeledu.com.

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