Work Priorities for the Ministry of Education during 2012

General requirements for 2012 education work:
We should fully implement the spirit of the 17th CPC National Congress, the Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee, take the Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of “Three Represents” as the guide, and deeply implement the scientific outlook of development and the education planning outlines.

We should give priority to the educational development, promote the quality education in an all-round way, and fully carry out the key national education programs and pilot reforms. We should also firmly stick to the keynote of seeking progress with stability, further emancipate the mind and deepen the reforms, actively promote educational equity and improve quality in an all-round way, maintain stability and promote the scientific development of education so as to prepare for the convening of the 18th CPC National Congress with great accomplishments.

I.	To improve the CPC building and strive to maintain the harmony and stability in the education system

1.	To effectively improve the scientific level of the Party building.
We should substantially improve the scientific level of the CPC building by learning and promoting the spirits of the 18th CPC National Congress and organize the education activities with the theme of “scientific development, extraordinary achievement”.

We should equip the cadres, staff and students in our education system with the latest developments in the application of Marxism in China and promote the activities aimed at “striving for advancement and superiority in serving the people” at all levels of education departments and various schools by implementing a long-term mechanism. The construction of party organizations should be strengthened in private schools.

We should enhance cadre training in the national educational system, reinforce the education about party spirits, party conduct and party discipline, and conscientiously implement responsibility system for the construction of party conduct and government administration with integrity, and further the system construction targeting corruption punishment and prevention.

The opinions on combating corruption and calling for integrity at colleges and universalities should be deeply implemented to promote transparent school administration and strengthen supervision on key departments and links of colleagues and universities.
 
2.	To further strengthen and improve moral education.
We should deeply implement the spirits of the sixth plenary session of the 17th Central Committee to incorporate the socialist core value system into the national education, and allow the education play a fundamental role in the cultural continuity and innovation and strengthen the cultural building for schools and educate people through practices.

The “Guideline for Incorporating Socialist Core Value System into the Education of Middle and Primary Schools” will be implemented, and the “Guideline for Moral Education for Secondary Vocational School” and “Guideline for Mental Health Education for Middle and Primary School Students” will be amended.

We will further enhance the research and construction of the Marxism theory system, promote the wide use of teaching materials and faculty training, and further strengthen and improve the ideology and political theory education for colleges and universities. We should also strengthen the trainings of college counsellors and the moral education for young lecturers, and embody the Marxist theory system into the teaching materials, the class and people’s minds. We should also strengthen morality education for common people and the scholars, and organize national innovation activities for college students.

The importance will be attached to cultural education, and the college spirits and core value systems for modern college students will be summarized. The activity of “emulating Lei Feng” will be deeply and widely carried out and the building and management of the campus network will be strengthened.

3.	To reinforce the educational supervision and inspection.
We should fulfil the identification and evaluation of the balanced development of compulsory education, and promote the inspection and evaluation on pre-school education, vocational education, quality education for primary and middle schools and responsibilities taken by local governments.

We should monitor the basic education, strengthen the inspection of directly affiliated colleges and universities. Efforts shall be made to fortify the mechanism for planning, supervision and inspection of key educational projects. The supervision work system and mechanism will be improved and the work procedure be standardized.

4.	To effectively maintain the safety and stability of schools.
We should identify and resolve contradictions, strengthen campus safety precaution, and take various measures and regulations to prevent dangers through work of people and availability of goods and skills so as to build a safe campus. The emergency prevention and dealing regime will be established and improved, and the local schools will be instructed on how to apply such a regime.

The public order on campus and its surrounding areas will be kept, and students will receive more educations on safety, law and mental health. The “Safety Standards for Middle and Primary Schools” and the school shuttle bus system will be made, and “Regulations on School Bus Safety” will be well implemented.

We should strengthen the insurance of food safety under the “student nutrition enhancement program” for compulsory education receivers in rural areas, prevent food poisonings, and enhance control of the infectious disease and the management of school dining halls.

5.	To improve the scientific and democratic decision-making and service levels.
We will further transform and reinforce the work style of government offices, make more research on education policies and strategy, enhance the ability of scientific, democratic and law-based decision-making, and further improve the education news publicity work, so as to create favourable environment for reform and development.

The activities aimed at “striving for advancement and superiority” and the building of study-oriented CPC organizations should be launched and assessment of government working styles should be effectively carried out with a view to presenting an honest, pragmatic and people-oriented image. We should further reinforce the building of administrative cadre teams, study and formulate cadre exchange and cultivation methods, and improve the mechanism that combines cadre selective-study and organizational trainings.

We should also take care of the growth and lives of young cadres, promote the investigation and research at grassroots level, and set up a long-term mechanism for “cadres to work at grassroots level”. We should also complete the review and regulation of directly affiliated institutions, explore effective ways to strengthen and improve the work for retired cadres. The construction of grassroots working committees will be promoted, the cultural building of government offices will be reinforced, the convention on office civilized behaviours and professionalism will be practiced to build harmonized and civilized government offices.

II.	To deepen the reform and improve the institutional mechanisms for the scientific development of educational undertaking

6.	To ensure the fulfilment of the 4% target as scheduled.
We will coordinate with relevant government agencies in instructing all regions in implementing the funding policies issued by the State Council, guarantee the growth of educational fund according to law, and continuously increase the share of financial educational expenditures in the public financial expenditures so as to ensure that the national financial education expenditure can take up 4% of the GDP.

Investment in preschool education will be increased. Further efforts will be made to ensure the funding for the compulsory education, and expedite the process of offering secondary vocational education on a free basis.

The development of the standard for financial funding per student in the vocational schools will be promoted, and the level of financial funding for students in the universities will also be increased. In addition, we will help the institutions of higher education and general high schools address the debt problem.

The work of the Higher Education Fund Appropriation Advisory Committee will be enhanced. In particular, the Office of the Leading Group of National Educational System Reform will establish a task force to fulfil the objective of 4%. Furthermore, we will speed up the building of Educational Funds Supervision Centre, establish and improve the institutional mechanism for financial appropriation and regulation. The system for announcement of statistical data on national educational fund will be improved, and the methods for disclosure of financial information of the institutions of higher education will be formulated.

7.	To actively and steadily push forward the reform of the system for the entry examinations and student recruitment.
We will study the key issues regarding the reform of examinations for admission to institutions of higher education, develop and announce the reform schemes, and instruct all regions in exploring such reform according to their local actual conditions.

The independent selection and enrolment reform in the institutions of higher education will be regulated to gradually expand the pilot areas of reform. The extra credit policy for examinations for admission to institutions of higher education will be reviewed and regulated. Pilot projects will be conducted at the Province (Autonomous Region and Municipality) level for examinations for admission to institutions of higher vocational education by improving the assessment methods characterized by ‘knowledge + skills’ and expanding the scale of separated/targeted admission to demonstrative higher vocational educational institutions.

We will instruct the provinces which apply the new curriculum in high schools in exploring the comprehensive assessment methods featured by integration of examinations for admission to institutions of higher education with the study proficiency test of high schools and the assessment of the comprehensive quality of the students. We will also instruct the pilot institutions of higher education and the qualified Sino-foreign cooperatively-operated schools in exploring how to select talents.

The work scheme for student enrolled from the poor areas and for directional employment will be developed for the institutions of higher education. The diversified methods of enrolment including students enrolled for directional employment will be explored and improved. Furthermore, we will deepen the reform of recruitment of the master oriented postgraduate, and revise the administrative methods for recommending students for admission to master oriented postgraduate study without examinations.

The reform of recruitment of the doctor oriented postgraduate will be promoted to expand the autonomy power of the institutions of higher education and their tutors. The mechanism of joint fostering of doctorial students will be improved, and the mechanism of compensation for vacancies left by repositioning in the mid-term will also be established.

8.	To strongly support and manage the private education according to law.
Working meetings on private education will be organized, and policies to promote the private education will be promulgated. Some policies that were discriminatory to the private schools will be cancelled and corrected so as to encourage the private sector to invest in education. In addition, we will promote the pilot program on private educational reform, and speed up the process of central and provincial finance to earmark special fund for the development of private education.

The internal governance structure of the private schools will be improved to ensure that the principals of such schools can execute their rights according to law. Furthermore, the self-discipline and social supervision mechanism for the private schools will be enhanced to regulate their operations, put into place the property right of the legal representative, and ensure the legal rights and interests of the teachers and students. The management and operational mechanism for Independent Colleges will also be strengthened.

9.	To accelerate the development of modern school system.
According to the overall requirement on the reform of public institutions, we will further transform the government’s functions, and deepen the reform of the public institutions in the education sector.

Efforts will be made to implement the Interim Measures for the Development of Bylaws for the Institutions of Higher education, promote the development of such bylaws in different groups, and help these institutions improve their standard and differentiate from each other. The Opinions on Implementing the Presidents’ Responsibility System under the Leadership of Party Committee for the Regular Institutions of Higher education will be issued and carried out. The guideline on how to build the leadership for the institutions of higher education directly affiliated to the Ministry of Education will be printed and distributed. The pilot programs will be launched for publicly selecting the Presidents for the institutions of higher education directly affiliated to the Ministry of Education and selecting and appointing the chief accountants for such institutions. Secretaries of the discipline inspection committees in such institutions will exchange working places.

Development on the academic committee system of the institutions of higher education will be enhanced to explore effective means of the professors’ governing academic studies. Reform of pilot colleges of the institutions of higher education will be further promoted, and the opinions on how to deepen the reform of personnel system in such institutions will be studied and developed. In addition, we will study and develop the measures of comprehensively evaluating the performance of the leadership and cadres of the institutions of higher education directly affiliated to the Ministry of Education in order to explore the incentive mechanism for the income allocation of leaders in such institutions. A special treatment policy for the high-level talents will be explored, and focus will be made to solve the actual problems of the young teachers in their life and work. Opinions on how to build a stronger faculty team will be studied.

The Regulation on the Teaching and Administrative Staff’s Representative Assembly in the Schools will be implemented to enhance the management and supervision of teachers in a democratic way. Further efforts will be made to promote the information announcement in the schools and the development of the board of directors for the institutions of higher education, as well as the parents’ committees for the kindergartens, primary and secondary schools. Reform of the publication system of the institutions of higher education will be deepened. So will the reform of logistic services to make them independent in their operation.

10.	To promote the governing of education according to law.
We will support the consideration of drafted revision of Law on Vocational Education, and the Law on Examination. We will work with the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council to draft the Regulations on the Safety of School Vehicles, and promote the promulgation of Regulations on Education Inspection. 

In addition, we will work on the following issues:

•	Study to draft the Law on Preschool Education;
•	Launch the revision of Regulations on Academic Degrees and the Law of Promoting Private Education;
•	Finalise the revised Regulations on the Education for the Disabled;
•	Draft the Regulation on Schools’ Safety;
•	Issue the Measures of Teachers’ Complaint; and
•	Develop the Measures on Promoting the Cooperation between Schools and Enterprises.

The reform of the system of educational administrative approval will be further deepened, and some administrative approval rights will be delegated or removed. Active efforts will be made to promote the institutional reform of the system for educational administrative law enforcement.

The Plan for Popularization of Law in 2011-2015 will be fully implemented, and a website of public benefit on education related legal knowledge will be built. Activities to build model schools which are governed according to law will be organized and efforts will be paid to develop the Outline of Implementing the Governance of Schools according to Law. 

11.	To expand educational exchange and cooperation with the outside world.
We will deepen the cultural and human exchanges and expand the regional cooperation platform. Policies and measures on promotion of the joint operation of schools by the Chinese and foreign entities will be developed to introduce a series of world-renowned institutions of higher education to jointly operate schools in China. Self-discipline of the industry will be enhanced, and a quality assurance system will be developed and improved to conduct assessment and quality audit.

The Program of Studying in China for Overseas Students will be fully implemented, and the Regulations on the Enrolment and Management of International Students be developed. The management measures on mutually and jointly granting academic degrees by domestic and foreign institutions of higher education will be formulated.

The Ten-year Plan and 12th-Five-Year Plan for Confucius Institutes will be made public. The Confucius Institute Online will be well operated.  The educational quality of Confucius Institute will be fully improved.

Further efforts will be made to strengthen the service delivery and management of Chinese students studying overseas. The domestic institutions of higher education are encouraged to attract more world top experts and scholars to work in China, and the educational exchange and cooperation between mainland and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will be promoted as well.

12.	To facilitate the tackling of key educational issues that the general public are concerned about.
We will instruct all regions in issuing and implementing policies to address the issue of choosing schools for compulsory education, and will further regulate the policies and measures for school operation. Development of the schools integrating the nine-year primary and junior secondary schools will be proactively promoted. The system of evaluating the schools, teachers and students will be reformed. 

New regulations on enhancing and management of the use of teaching assistance materials in the primary and middle schools will be implemented, and policies and measures to reduce the schoolwork burden of the primary and middle school students be developed, with enhanced supervision and inspection. 

Efforts will be made to ensure that the children of the migrant workers can receive compulsory education in an equitable way. All the resident population will be covered by the regional educational development planning, and the children of the migrant workers covered by the financial support planning. Measures will be studied and developed for the children of migrant workers to take the examinations for admission to higher education in the same area after they received compulsory education and construction of boarding schools in the rural areas will be strengthened, in which the remaining children will be given priority to study in such schools and more care will be rendered to them. 

Furthermore, the policies on educational fee charge will be improved to regulate the service-based charges and collection. Illegal activities related to fee charging and class operation will be investigated and treated according to law.

13.	To further promote the pilot projects of national educational system reform.
We will track the latest progress of the pilot projects launched by different schools locally and enhance categorized instruction, inspection and supervision, make summaries and scale up the result. The mechanism and procedure for breakthrough of key educational policies will be developed to expedite the process of key educational reform programs at the national level. 

Furthermore, the working mechanism of national educational advisory commission will be improved to fortify the link with local leading groups for educational system reform. The working mechanism shall be established and improved to promote the educational system reform in a synergic way. 

III.	To change the approach of educational development and carry forward the scientific development of education in an all-round way

14.	To carry forward the connotative-oriented development.
We will stay on track of connotative-oriented development focusing on promoting equity and improving quality and implement the outline of national 12th Five-Year Plan for education and the 10 special plans for preschool education, compulsory education, high school education, vocational education, higher education, continuing education, private education, ethnic education, artistic education and language and characters.

The formulation of standards for constructing and running various schools at all levels will be sped up, and a mechanism will be formed to supervise the implementation of the standards. A basic public education service system covering urban and rural areas will be established and improved, and we will adhere to the principle that public educational resources will be preferentially directed to rural, poor and ethnic areas, to compulsory education in the countryside, vocational education and preschool education, to particularly disadvantaged students and to creating a team of high-quality teachers.

We will facilitate the coordinated development of education between rural and urban areas and between different regions and intensify the overall coordination of the educational development in the region made by the provincial people’s government.  

15.	To proactively develop the preschool education.
We will propel all regions to implement the three-year action plan on preschool education in an all-round way and carry out major projects in preschool education funded by the central government. 

The information systems for management of preschool education will be built up and improved, and Regulations on Specifications for Kindergarten Work and Guide to the Learning and Development of 3-6 Years Old Children will be fulfilled to firmly prevent the tendency of running kindergartens like primary schools.

Furthermore, standard on allocating teachers for kindergartens will be introduced, and more efforts will be made to publicize the knowledge of scientific parenting in various forms. 

16.	To promote the balanced development and optimized layout of the compulsory education.
We will implement Opinions of the State Council on Promoting the Balanced Development of the Compulsory Education, hold the working conference on the summary of national performance in the two basic educational programs i.e. on the promotion of the balanced development of the compulsory education, and propel all regions to effectively carry out all the work specified in the MOU on the balanced development of the compulsory education.

We will prudently push forward the adjustment of the layout of compulsory education schools and persist in running good primary schools and teaching points in necessary villages and places. The national project of primary and middle school safe buildings and the reconstruction project of the middle school buildings in the rural areas of central and western China will be promoted further, and the standardized construction of compulsory education schools will be vigorously advanced.

An exchange system for principals and teachers in counties will be established and improved, and a variety of ways will be taken to expand high-quality educational resources. We will create and fulfil the responsibility mechanism for the promotion of the balanced development of the compulsory education and conduct the supervision and evaluation of the balanced development of the compulsory education in various counties.

17.	To promote the diversified development of regular high schools.
The popularization of the education of the high school stage will be accelerated, and it will be ensured that regular high schools account for a ratio roughly same as that of vocational schools in the education of this stage.

We will encourage regular high schools to develop their own characteristics and explore modes and methods for the diversified development of regional high schools with different characteristics. The establishment and implementation of a development guiding system for the students of regular high schools will also be sped up.

18.	To vigorously develop the vocational education.
We will accelerate the construction of a modern vocational education system, work out the national special plan on the construction of the modern vocational education system, and promote the early improvement of the national system in vocational education.

We will deepen the cooperation between schools and enterprises and the combination of education and industries, strengthen industrial guidance, research and draw up opinions on the promotion of the group-oriented development of schools, and support vocational institutions and schools to organize and establish vocational education groups through the cooperation with different industries and enterprises. 

The level and structure of vocational education will be optimized, the integrated management and overall coordination of secondary vocational education, higher vocational education and vocational trainings will be strengthened, and the action plan on higher vocational education taking the lead in the scientific development of vocational education will be formulated.

The basic capacity building of vocational education will be further intensified, the implementation of projects including demonstration schools of national reform and development of secondary vocational education, phase II of the basic capacity building, and the construction of national demonstration higher vocational institutions and schools and training bases will be promoted.

We will fulfil the co-building and co-sharing program of the digitalized resources of national demonstration vocational schools, actively push forward the cooperation of eastern and western vocational institutions and schools in running schools and successfully hold the Third International Congress on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

19.	To promote the characteristic development of higher education.
We will continue to implement the construction of the 985 project and the innovative platform of advantageous disciplines, further to carry out the 211 project and the project of featured and key disciplines, guide the higher education institutions directly affiliated to MoE to make a good formulation of the 12th Five-Year Plan, and fulfil the opinions on the establishment of higher education institutions during the 12th Five-Year Plan period.

The program of rejuvenating higher education in central and western China will be launched and implemented, and the co-building work (between central and local governments - translator) will be further advanced and deepened. The structure of the enrolment plan of higher education will be optimized, and the new and additional recruitment quotas for regular bachelor and diploma students will critically and preferentially attend to higher education institutions in central and western China, private colleges and universities and higher vocational institutions.

We will explore methods of classified management and guidance of the recruitment plan for doctors, organize and carry out the work of the overall pilot reform of the post-graduate education of professional degrees, adjust the structure and layout of the degree authorization system, and organize and implement talent training projects that can meet the special needs of the country.

20.	To accelerate the development of continuing education.
We will accelerate the promotion of the major education reform, explore the construction of open universities and the development of non-award continuing education, steadily develop the continuing education of higher education qualifications, and promote the continuing education reform and the openness of resources in higher education institutions and secondary vocational schools.

We will print and hand out the opinions on the promotion of community education, carry out all kinds of pilot programs in the construction of learning organizations and the National Life-Long Learning Week, and proactively develop modern distance education.

A national centre on digitalized learning resources will be built up, the construction of demonstration bases for continuing education will be strengthened further, the construction of the public service platform for life-long learning, test and assessment will be promoted, and more efforts will be made to deepen the pilot programs in the course accreditation and the accumulation and conversion of credits of continuing education. 

IV.	To comprehensively improve the education quality and focus on enhanced level of talent cultivation

21.	To improve the quality assurance system of basic education.
Development of quality standards for the basic education studies of all subjects will be launched. Pilot reform will be commenced to comprehensively evaluate the educational quality of primary and middle schools.

Great efforts will be exerted to ensure the review and examination of compulsory education textbooks. Review of the curriculum outlines and curriculum standards will be initiated for all subjects of regular high schools to further strengthen the quality and level of textbooks. National level excellent compulsory education teaching awards will be organised and implemented.  Impartial and scientific assessment of students will be encouraged. 

22.	To improve the talent cultivation system of the vocational education.
Management methods and reform schemes for skills contest of nationwide vocational education institutions will be studied and formulated to optimize the national skills contest.

Subjects, curriculum and textbook system construction of secondary and higher vocational education will be comprehensively coordinated in an overall way. Standards for subjects of vocational education institutions will be developed and management methods for subject setup of higher vocational education institutions will be reviewed.

The project entitled “Supporting Higher Vocational Education Institutions to Improve the Capacity of Serving the Industrial Development through Specialised Subjects” will be launched. A quality evaluation mechanism for vocational education will be established jointly with vocational institutions, industries, enterprises, research institutions and other social societies.

Modernized apprenticeship pilot will be promoted and management methods on work placement internship for vocational students will be implemented. The system for internship safety and risk management of vocational education students will be reinforced. 

23.	To comprehensively improve the quality of higher education.
Certain Opinions on Comprehensively Improving the Quality of Higher Education will be thoroughly implemented; investment and management for teaching will be fortified. Steady steps will be taken to advance the “Undergraduate Teaching Projects”. 

National standards will be studied and formulated to qualify the teaching of all undergraduate disciplines and evaluate the quality of professional talent cultivation in undergraduate education. Undergraduate disciplines will be comprehensively reformed and a series of national level excellent open courses will be developed. 

The Revised Undergraduate Discipline Catalogue of Regular Institutions of Higher Education and Provisions on Undergraduate Discipline Setup of Regular Institutions of Higher Education will be put into complete implementation, and an online platform will be constructed to provide public information service and management for the undergraduate discipline setup of institutions of higher education.

Pilot cultivation of top students for basic subjects will be continued and education and cultivation projects for engineering, medical and legal elites will be carried forward. Reform of medical education and management system will be accelerated and more general doctors will be cultivated. Active efforts will be made to reform the cultivation of cultural and art talents and a set of education and cultivation projects will be initiated to foster excellent talents for agriculture, forestry, journalism and communication. Reform of college English will be conducted steadily and teaching evaluation of regular institutions of higher education will be improved and intensified.

Professional certification of engineering and medical education will be carried on with persistent efforts. Postgraduate cultivation mechanism will be further reformed and renovation of professional degree cultivation will be promoted vigorously. A periodical evaluation system will be established to assess the quality of postgraduate education. 

24.	To upgrade the research level of higher education institutions.
Research of basic and frontier subjects will be strengthened; originality and innovation will be promoted. A program to Increase the innovation capacity of higher education institutions will be implemented to explore greater innovation and dynamic integration of education, research, application and production.

Science and technology development scheme for higher education institutions will be put into practice during the twelfth five-year plan period and higher education institutions will be organized to implement major national science and technology projects.

Research and education will be further integrated; innovation action projects will be conducted to perfect the innovation system for higher education institutions. Opinions on promoting philosophy and social science within higher education institutions of will be practised; Prosperity Program for philosophy and social science of institutions of higher education (2011—2020) and Construction Program for Major Humanities and Social Science Research Centres of Institutions of higher education will be commenced. 

Opinions on reinforcing and optimizing academic spirit and fund management in institutions of higher education will be substantially implemented and evaluation mechanism of researches will be well developed.

25.	To comprehensively strengthen sports education.
The sunshine sports activity for nationwide students will be carried out in an in-depth way. Provisions on Effectively Ensuring One Hour of Campus Sports Every Day for Primary and Middle School Students will be implemented under extensive supervision and inspection. 

Students’ eyesight will be carefully protected; National Standard for Students’ Physical Health will be set up and an announcement system for physical test of freshmen of institutions of higher education will be established. Documents will be drafted to strengthen university physical education and health education. The 9th National University Games will be held. Guideline for defence education of compulsory education will be formulated.

26.	To comprehensively strengthen arts education.
The National Art Education Development Plan for Schools (2011 – 2020) will be put into practice. Musical and fine arts teaching equipment catalogue will be revised for compulsory education schools. Syllables for public art courses in secondary vocational schools will be studied and developed. Teaching of music and fine arts (teacher education) for undergraduates of institutions of higher education will be pilot reformed step by step. Elegant Art into Campus Activity will be continued; art performances of primary, middle and high school students will be systematically organized.

27.	To improve the quality of teachers.
National Teachers Conference will be prepared and held. Guidelines for Teachers’ Development during the Twelfth Five-year Plan will be explored. Professional code of ethics for primary and middle schools teachers as well as college professors will be executed and teachers’ professional ethics will serve as the principal criteria for teacher qualification examination, periodic registration, performance assessment, professional appointment and excellence evaluation and rewarding.

Curriculum Standard for Education of Teachers (Trial) will be put into force and Excellent Teacher Cultivation Plan will be initiated. Pilot reform of qualification test and periodic registration for kindergarten, primary and middle school teachers will be expanded. Professional Standards for kindergarten, primary and middle school teachers will be printed and distributed. Firm steps will be taken to further expand the pilot reform of professional title system for primary and middle school teachers.

A unified post and headcount standard system for urban and rural teachers will be launched and efforts will be made to explore the method for verification of number of teachers allocated for classes in rural schools. Researches will be conducted to formulate the system of teaching post (professional title) and employment method in secondary vocational school as well as headcount standard for secondary vocational school staff. Management Methods for Part-time Teachers of Vocational Schools will be printed and distributed. 

Plan for Promotion of Teachers’ Quality and Principals’ Capacity of Vocational Schools will be executed. Free teacher education will be expanded to encourage free local teacher education. “National Cultivation Plan” will be carefully organized and implemented, with a focus on rural teachers. All-round trainings for primary and middle school teachers and principals will be promoted. “Special Post Plan” will cover wider span by establishing a dynamic adjustment mechanism for the subsidy funding standards from the central finance. Changjiang Scholars Program will start anew and support for academic pacesetters and innovation teams will be strengthened. “Thousand Talents Program” and “Support Program for Top Youth Talents” will be well supported.

28.	To promote the informatization of education.
Ten-year Development Plan for Informatization of Education will be effectively implemented. Informatized methods will be put into full use to boost the sharing of quality education resources. Informatization of educational management will be brought to a new high. Guidelines for Informatizing Education of Primary and Middle Schools will be studied and formulated. Opinions on Promoting Informatization of Vocational Education will be distributed and put into force. China Digitalized Education 2020 Action Plan will be drafted. A series of campaigns will be carried out successively, including “Quality Digital Education Construction and Sharing”, “Construction and Promotion of Informatized Schools”, “Basic Capacity Building for Informatized Education”. Informatization of local education will be firmly advanced.

AEI NOTE: “Informatization” is a direct translation of term “信息化”, used to describe the integration of information technology, such as E-platforms, online resource sharing and the use of technology within the classroom and education system.

29.	To strengthen the language work.
State Guidelines for Medium-to-Long-Term Language and Literal Reform and Development Plan (2010 – 2020) will be put into practice. The nationally used spoken and written language will be actively promoted and standardized; languages of all ethnic groups will be protected in a scientific way. General Standard Chinese Characters List will be promulgated and review on mandarin Chinese pronunciation will be commenced.

Criteria will be established for translations of foreign languages in the field of public services. Daily language monitoring and the construction of audio database for Chinese language resources will be further strengthened. China Reciting – Recitation of Classics Activity will be substantially pushed forward. Construction of standardized language model schools will be accelerated and education of standard written Chinese will be consolidated.

V.	To promote the educational equity and protect the people’s right for education

30.	To accelerate the development of education in rural areas.
A set of educational welfare projects will be implemented focusing on areas of extreme poverty. Implementation Plan for Educational Poverty Relief Projects will be drafted and put into force. Actions will be taken to improve the educational conditions of rural and poor areas; development projects of preschool education in the central and western China will be continuously conducted and reconstruction of rural weak schools in compulsory education will be carried out. Popularization of compulsory education will be solidified.

Vocational education oriented for rural areas will be accelerated; vocational skill training focusing on surplus rural labour and urban residents undergoing employment difficulties will be reinforced. Special subsidies covering living and transport expenses will be offered to secondary vocational students. Cultivation and training of skilful agriculture related talents will be strengthened through coordination with related ministries and departments.

Construction of national level pilot counties (cities, districts) for rural vocational education and adult education will be commenced. Talent supporting programs and teacher special programs will be initiated for poor far-reaching areas, ethnic border areas and old revolutionary base areas. Teachers from developed regions will be encouraged and organised to work in rural areas. Construction of transit dormitories will be carried on for rural teachers in remote poor areas. Special allowance system will be developed for rural teachers.

31.	To strengthen the education for ethnic groups.
Spirit of the 6th National Working Conference of Education for Ethnic Groups and State Council Resolution on Accelerating the Development of Education for Ethnic Groups will both be put into practice. Ethnic unity education will be greatly fortified.

More educational aids will be provided for Tibet and Xinjiang. Classes for Tibetan students, senior high school classes for Xinjiang students and secondary vocational classes for Tibetan and Xinjiang students in the inland will be properly administered.

Construction of regular high schools in ethnical counties with weak education basics will be consolidated. Education of skilful and applied talents in ethnical regions will be intensified. Preparatory classes in higher education institutions for students of ethnic minorities will be expanded. Key high level talents cultivation projects will be continued for ethnic minorities and the scheme of top talents of ethnic minorities will be launched.  Bilingual education will be steadily pushed forward. More efforts will be concentrated on oriented educational assistance.

32.	To care and support special education.
Policy and measures will be drafted for regular schools to take disabled students. “Plan of Tackling the Difficulties and Popularising the Nine-year Compulsory Education for Disabled Children” will be studied and developed. Construction projects of special education schools will be further advanced. Experimental “Combination of Medication and Education” will be carried on. Construction of training bases for special education teachers will be fortified. Curriculum standards for three types of special education schools will be reviewed and promulgated; textbooks will be compiled for all special education disciplines.

33.	To improve the national education assistance policies.
Financial aid system for preschool education will be integrated. Plan of improving the nutritional status of rural compulsory education students will be carefully carried out; policies of living subsidies for boarder students from poor families will be put into firm execution. National stipend and tuition waiving policies for secondary vocational education will be improved. National policies of stipend in regular senior high schools will be put into practice. Financial aid system for nationwide regular institutions of higher education will be well organized. Financial aiding system for postgraduate students will be perfected. National student loan mechanism will be further developed. Monitoring and supervision on the implementation of financial aid policy and the use of allocated funds will be strengthened. Efforts will be made to ensure that no students will be deprived of education as a result of poverty.

34.	To fulfil the employment work for graduates of institutions of higher education.
Such graduates will be guided to work in central and western China, the grass roots and small-and-medium-sized enterprises. Relevant departments will be assisted to implement grassroots employment programs including “Appointed to Work in Villages”, “Three Supports and One Assistance”. Relevant departments will be facilitated to push forward “Special Post Plan for Promotion of Agricultural Techniques at Grassroots Level”. College graduates enrolment in the army will be systematically organized. 

Innovation and venturing education will be popularized in institutions of higher education and employment guidance courses will be provided so that more supports will be provided to help college graduates to start business on their own and supporting policy will be perfected. National Employment Information Service System for College Students will be fully improved.
Effective methods, such as “One-for-One Help” will be used to guarantee employment of students in needy. Support will be given to relevant departments to strengthen employment service and assistance for unemployed college graduates.