The State Council has issued a guideline on expanding the reform of the education system, calling for coordinated efforts by governments, schools and social forces toward developing a world-advanced modern education system in China.
The guideline sets a target of establishing a dynamic, efficient and more open basic education system by 2020, with education issues that are of the most public concern being resolved or to a certain extent addressed.
The State Council stressed establishing an integrated moral education system, guided by the core value of Chinese socialism. It also urged innovating the preschool education system, encouraging social forces to open kindergartens in various forms, with efforts to effectively solve the difficulty of kindergarten admissions.
In addition, government at provincial and municipal levels are urged to strengthen coordination in providing support in rural areas, and formulate plans on establishing and expansion of private kindergartens by county.
The document also stressed following the rules of children’s physical and mental development, reasonable arrangement of children’s study-rest schedule, while modifying teaching modes, to effectively reduce the study burdens on students.
Meanwhile, after-school training institutions should be better regulated by means of strictly examining their qualifications, training scope and training content, and efforts should be made to resolve any uncoordinated urban and rural development of compulsory education.
The guideline also asked to improve the quality of vocational education, striving to cultivate students’ professional ethics, professional skills and entrepreneurial ability.
It urged innovating the talent cultivation mechanism, deepening education and teaching reform at ordinary high schools, and improving financial support systems.
The document also urged improving the mechanism on financial support for education as well as establishing an integrated education evaluation system on education quality from preschool through university years.
