Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged efforts to carry out the basic task of fostering virtue through education and break new ground in the high-quality development of the country's basic education.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction on work related to basic education.
Xi pointed out that since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Party Central Committee has prioritized basic education as a fundamental and pioneering undertaking. Through various measures, significant progress has been made, providing strong support for building China into a leading country in education.
Looking ahead, Xi called for implementing the Party's educational policy, carrying out the basic task of fostering virtue through education, and nurturing a new generation of capable young people with sound moral grounding, intellectual ability, physical vigor, aesthetic sensibility, and work skills, who will further develop socialism and carry forward the socialist cause.
Xi also highlighted the need to adhere to educational laws, implement the "health first" education philosophy and improve the quality of education and teaching to promote physical and mental health and all-round development of students.
He urged efforts to meet the new expectations of the people, advance the expansion and quality improvement of basic education, and firmly uphold the bottom line of educational equity.
Furthermore, he called for promoting the spirit of educators, strengthening professional ethics, and cultivating a high-quality, professional teaching force.
Xi emphasized that Party committees and governments at all levels must earnestly shoulder their political responsibilities, optimize the allocation of educational resources, deepen comprehensive educational reforms, and promote concerted efforts among schools, families, and society to continuously break new ground in the high-quality development of basic education.
The instructions were conveyed at a national conference on basic education held in Beijing on Wednesday.
Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting and delivered a speech.
Noting that basic education has achieved historic accomplishments and undergone fundamental changes in the new era, Ding emphasized the need to develop a comprehensive understanding of the political, people-oriented, and strategic attributes of education, adapt to the new situation of economic and social development and the new expectations of the people, and further promote the high-quality development of basic education.
Ding underscored the importance of promoting students' healthy growth and all-round development. He called for strict management of enrollment, strengthening care and support for rural left-behind children and children of migrant workers in cities, firmly upholding the bottom line of educational equality, and promoting balanced development of basic education.
He also urged optimizing the allocation of educational resources in response to population changes, and coordinating efforts in funding guarantees, school layout, student enrollment capacity, and teacher deployment.
Ding emphasized deepening education and teaching reforms centered on student growth, upholding integrity and innovation to shape new advantages in basic education. He called for further strengthening collaborative education, fully leveraging the roles of schools, families, and society to form a synergy for nurturing talents.
He also highlighted the need to promote the spirit of educators, enhance teachers' professional competence, strengthen their welfare and benefits, and attract more outstanding talents to dedicate themselves to teaching.
The conference was attended by officials from various provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, central government departments, people's organizations, and relevant military departments, along with representatives from normal universities and institutions participating in national education programs.
Xi stresses fostering virtue through education, promoting high-quality basic education
Xi stresses fostering virtue through education, promoting high-quality basic education
