Work report lays out achievements in national education

With 290 million students at schools and universities in China, the country must ensure that education, which is vital to millions of families and to the future of the nation, is properly run, according to the Government Work Report submitted to the National Legislature on Saturday for deliberation.

China will promote high-quality, well-balanced development and urban-rural integration of its nine-year compulsory education system, allocate educational resources according to population size, and ensure that children are able to enroll in nearby schools.

China will also continue the efforts to reduce the burden on students in compulsory education at the primary and middle school levels.

Teachers should be paid in full and the government will strengthen targeted and on-the-job training programs and provide salary guarantees for rural teachers, the report stated.

Steps will be taken to upgrade vocational schools and refine the mechanism for integrating vocational education with industry.

China will develop higher education to its full potential and promote the development of world-class universities and academic disciplines on a categorized basis.

It will also move faster to train professionals badly needed in science, engineering, agriculture and medicine, and support the development of higher education in central and western regions, while existing universities and colleges will continue to enroll greater numbers of students from central and western regions and rural areas, the report stated. A mechanism will also be established whereby schools, families and society work together to advance education.

Last year, China intensified efforts to shore up weak links in compulsory rural education and increased subsidies to the nutrition improvement program for students in rural areas, benefiting over 37 million. Homework and off-campus tutoring burdens for students have been reduced.

China has surpassed the targets set in the three-year enrollment expansion initiative for vocational colleges. The cap for government-subsidized student loans was raised by 4,000 yuan ($633) per person per year, benefiting over five million students, according to the report.