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NPC deputy committed to enhancing domestic services, expanding employment opportunities

China

China

China

NPC deputy committed to enhancing domestic services, expanding employment opportunities

2025-03-03 21:48 Last Updated At:03-04 01:27

A deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) from east China's Jiangsu Province has dedicated years to advancing the domestic services industry, aiming to improve the quality of life for the elderly and support children's healthy development.

As the first NPC deputy from Jiangsu Province to emerge from the domestic services sector, Gao Huarui brings over a decade of frontline experience as a domestic service provider, evolving into a seasoned industry expert. Currently, she is actively involved in training newly recruited platform-based domestic workers, helping them master service techniques and efficiently manage online service requests.

"When clients place orders directly online, our company's system will match these orders with available workers based on their skills, location, and free time slots, and forward the orders to their phones," Gao explained during the training session.

With the rapid growth of the platform economy, the number of online domestic workers has surged. Gao has remained committed to enhancing their professional skills.

During the 2024 National People's Congress, she proposed strengthening the domestic service vocational education system -- a suggestion adopted by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Education, leading to concrete policy changes.

"Online domestic services are highly specialized and require professional education for excellence. By training and nurturing young talent in this field, we can elevate the overall service quality in the industry," she said.

Through her research, Gao has identified a growing demand for care services for infants aged 0 to 3 and the elderly. However, she noted that current community service offerings remain relatively limited.

During this year's "two sessions," she plans to propose measures to stimulate new forms of employment and innovate service models.

"I hope that by promoting the integration of domestic services with community-based elderly care and childcare, we can use new employment models to attract more people to the industry and continuously meet the changing needs of social development," Gao said.

The "two sessions" refer to the annual meetings of China’s top legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), and its top political advisory body, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), scheduled to open on March 5 and 4, respectively.

NPC deputy committed to enhancing domestic services, expanding employment opportunities

NPC deputy committed to enhancing domestic services, expanding employment opportunities

Thailand has temporarily closed more than 1,000 schools in border areas following a new round of armed clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops along their shared border.

The Thai Ministry of Education ordered the suspension of classes on Friday in seven provinces bordering Cambodia, affecting a total of 1,060 schools, to ensure the safety of students and teachers.

Buriram Province is among the areas most affected by the renewed fighting, with more than 100 schools shut down. At local shelters, displaced residents, including children and teenagers, have sought refuge as fighting continues.

One girl said she had stayed in the shelter for 11-12 days already. "I moved here because of the clashes between Thailand and Cambodia," she said, adding that she could hear very loud gunfire at her home.

She said school won't be open until the clashes end, and she misses her classmates very much.

A teenage boy in the shelter expressed the same emotions.

"It's been 13 days since I moved here. I heard gunfires at home and I was so scared that I moved to the shelter. I want to return to school to study and see my friends," he said.

A displaced woman recalled her time in a shelter when border clashes between the two countries broke out earlier this year.

"I stayed in the shelter for a week when the last clashes broke out. This time I don't know how long I need to stay here before I can return home," she said.

Border clashes between the two sides reignited on Dec 7, less than two months after the two sides signed a joint peace declaration, with both sides trading the blame for instigating the attacks.

Thailand closes over 1,000 schools near border amid armed clashes with Cambodia

Thailand closes over 1,000 schools near border amid armed clashes with Cambodia

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