Top marks given to 75 years of educational progress

In the 75 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, education has emerged as a powerful driver for implementing major national strategies and fostering the nation's socioeconomic development, officials and experts said.

China has continuously advanced education reform and development, aligning it with national strategies, to serve the achievement of the Chinese path to modernization, said Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng, at a September news conference about the continuous developments in Chinese education since 1949.

"In any country, the quality and capability of higher education institutions are among the most valuable resources. Universities not only generate innovative outcomes but also cultivate high-quality talent and continuously transfer technology to serve social development," Huai said.

Higher education institutions have played a pivotal role as the backbone of basic research and the primary source of major technological breakthroughs. National projects such as the Shenzhou space program, the Jiaolong deep-sea submersible and the Beidou navigation satellite network, have all relied on critical technologies provided by universities, according to the ministry.

At the 2023 National Science and Technology Awards, university teams won 75 percent of all the natural science awards, 75 percent of the technology invention awards, and 56 percent of all the science and technology progress awards, the ministry said.

Recent notable breakthroughs include the chemical induction of reprogramming human cells using small molecules, which was led by Peking University professor Deng Hongkui. Details of the breakthrough were published in Nature in 2022, greatly contributing to human health and the treatment of major diseases.

Late last year, the world's first fourth-generation nuclear power plant was put into commercial operation in China.