China issues new guideline to improve compulsory education

BEIJING -- The Communist Party of China Central Committee and State Council Monday published a new guideline for advancing education reform and improving the quality of compulsory education.

The guideline aims to develop an education system that will foster citizens with an all-round moral, intellectual, physical and aesthetic grounding, in addition to a hard-working spirit, according to the document.

Efforts will be made in fostering comprehensive quality with firm faith, patriotism, integrity, broad knowledge and striving spirit, it said.

Moral education and all-round development of students will be priorities and the efforts must cover every student in every school, it added.

According to the guideline, compulsory education should emphasize the effectiveness of moral education with efforts on cultivating ideals and faith, core socialist values, China's fine traditional culture and mental health.

The document stressed elevating intellectual grounding level to develop the cognitive ability and stimulate the sense of innovation of the students.

It also called for strengthening physical education, enhancing aesthetic training with more art curriculums and activities, and encouraging students to participate in more physical work to boost their hard-working spirit.

The guideline stressed the role of classroom teaching, calling for improved quality.

Heuristic and interactive methods in teaching are encouraged to inspire students to think and ask questions.

More information technology should be integrated into school teaching, it said, specifically calling for more free and high-quality educational resources in rural and remote areas.

The guideline demands "high-quality and professional" teaching personnel, proposing more training to strengthen teachers' teaching fundamentals and work ethics, as well as improved salaries and benefits.

School principals are asked to shoulder more responsibilities and play better roles in improving education quality.

The guideline calls for deeper reform in key areas to create conditions for better education quality.

National curriculum schemes issued by the central authority should not be replaced by local and school- based curriculum, said the guideline.

Exam-free access to nearby primary and secondary schools should cover all school-age children, and schools are encouraged to promote the well-rounded development of students, the guideline said.

The country will secure the fiscal investment for compulsory education and motivate schools with higher education quality to help ordinary schools to achieve balanced compulsory education, according to the guideline.

It also demands strengthened Party leadership over compulsory education reform and more guidance to parents for better family education.