“Education equality is the foundation of social equality. We must give every student an opportunity of better education,” Premier Li Keqiang said at the State Council executive meeting on Dec 28.

Premier Li urged authorities to attach more importance to education equality in China’s five-year education plan (2016-2020), which was passed at the meeting.

“Confucius said ‘teaching without distinction’. We must offer equal quality basic education to people to ensure the ‘equality at the starting line’.”

Several decisions were taken at the meeting. More investment will be offered to the education at central and western China, poor regions, ethnic minority and remote areas, so as to promote a balanced development of the compulsory education between eastern and central and western China.

Top universities will be encouraged to accept more students from less-developed regions.

Every school in poor regions will be partnered with an assistance school.

In addition, educational rights of specific groups, including disabled children, students from poor families and “left-behind” children whose parents are migrant workers, will be protected.

The Premier stressed more efforts to promote education equality through the balanced development of compulsory education among eastern, central and western China, further increasing the entrance ratio of students from less-developed regions to top universities.

More fiscal funds should be encouraged to invest in the education in poor areas, and help the people really in need, said the Premier.

He added that more attention should be paid to the vocational education, and attracting more social forces and expanding education cooperation in noncompulsory education chains to adapt to the education needs of the modern society.

Talents are China’s largest resources, so education is an important “basic chain” for China’s development, the Premier said, adding that both promoting the economic and social coordinated development and driving the transformation and upgrades of economy need the development of education career.