What they say

Editor's note: The State Council Information Office held a group interview on Wednesday in Beijing on vigorously promoting the spirit of educators and accelerating the development of China as a leading country in education.

Most of my own students are now on the front lines of air pollution control. I often tell my students: the experimental and research data you are working with today will become the foundation for China's participation in and leadership of global environmental governance. Last year, one of my student teams independently developed a dynamic emissions inventory model that helped Southeast Asian countries address transboundary pollution challenges. Local officials shook their hands and said, "We truly need a solution from China." At that moment, I felt I had reached a deeper and higher understanding of education. We are not just training environmental scientists — we are nurturing bridge builders for a shared future for humanity.

He Kebin, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at the School of Environment, Tsinghua University

I believe that leaving the mountains is not about escaping them, but gaining the ability to return and help develop them. I may have left initially to escape poverty, but I never meant to abandon my hometown. In 2008, I was admitted to Linyi University in Shandong province, fulfilling my childhood dream. I brought my mother with me to Shandong, and after graduating in 2012, I stayed there to work. At the time, my hopes were simple: to provide a stable life for my mother and send any extra money home to support children in need. But before long, a girl I had sponsored in my hometown dropped out of school. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't persuade her to return. That moment made me realize just how vital education truly is. I decided to go back and devote myself to helping more children leave the mountains.

Liu Xiuxiang, teacher at an experimental high school in Wangmo county, Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture, Guizhou province

In recent years, we have focused our educational support efforts on enhancing curriculum development in partner schools, improving teacher training, and fostering the growth of outstanding students. We have strengthened school leadership in our partner institutions by dispatching core team members to serve as principals and vice-principals. For example, we appointed a senior biology teacher as vice-principal of Jingning High School in the Jingning She autonomous county. Over the past two years, the school has made significant progress, particularly in the area of talent development in biology.

Cai Xiaoxiong, principal of Hangzhou No 2 High School Education Group, Zhejiang province

Today's students are different from those of the past. Many have grown up using digital devices and computers. I believe we should build on this foundation and use digital technologies to enhance their vocational skills and professional competencies. We've harnessed AI to help students personalize their learning and skills development. We independently developed an AI evaluation system that identifies students' weak points and delivers tailored knowledge and skills improvement plans. In addition, we use generative AI tools to help students solve practical problems.

Yu Cheng, professor at Wuhan City Polytechnic, Hubei province

Looking back on my journey in early childhood education, nothing stirs my heart more than our pioneering efforts on Weizhou Island. The remote island, which has no convenient transportation, struggled to attract teachers willing to serve there. We established an urban-rural collaborative education model between the municipal kindergarten and the island's kindergarten, recruiting teachers to take posts on the island. I remember one teacher who had a strong background in the arts. His skills could help fill a major gap within the island's early childhood education system. I repeatedly encouraged him to apply and personally worked to ease concerns among other teachers, helping remove any obstacles in their minds. Eventually, we welcomed the first group of kindergarten teachers to the island.

Fan Huili, principal of Beihai No 1 Kindergarten in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region