Policy Digest

Plan relieves pressure on student borrowers

The State Council, China's Cabinet, has approved a plan from government bodies to relieve repayment pressure on student loans.

Those who have graduated or will graduate in 2022 are now exempt from paying interest on their loans this year, according to a notice issued on Thursday.

It will be covered by central and local governments, said the notice, which was jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, the People's Bank of China and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.

In addition, the same borrowers can apply for one-year extensions on principal payments due this year. Extensions will not result in penalty interest or compound interest, nor will they cause loans to be downgraded.

Banks that operate national student loan programs should take the readjustments into account when reporting the credit information of borrowers.

The notice added that for those who fail to repay loans on time due to the epidemic, banks are exempt from reporting the overdue once they have confirmed their situation.

Technical schools urged to expand enrollment

Technical schools must meet this year's enrollment objectives and expand targets from middle and high school graduates to other groups, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said.

A notice issued earlier this month said that human resources and social security authorities at all levels should ensure enrollment at technical schools is stable, and that schools meet the goal of enrolling more than 1.4 million people this year.

Authorities should also examine the number of middle and high school graduates in each area and ascertain their plans for further education so that they can create reasonable enrollment plans for technical schools.

As China focuses on high-quality socioeconomic development, authorities should encourage technical schools to design and offer majors in line with that goal, such as those involving advanced manufacturing and the modern service industries.

The ministry said that technical schools should work to attract people like the unemployed, those in flexible employment and migrant workers, adding that they should also slightly loosen age restrictions and allow different forms of learning.

Additionally, they should deepen cooperation with companies and promote programs to train employees.

Ministry looks to train more science teachers

The General Office of the Ministry of Education has issued a notice asking local educational authorities and normal universities and colleges to enhance the training of science teachers for primary schools.

The office urged normal universities and colleges to increase the number of students studying science education and improve the quality of courses, and encouraged prestigious normal universities that don't offer the major to start doing so.

Normal universities and colleges should also expand enrollment in the majors of mathematics and applied mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological sciences, geographical sciences and instructional technology, as well as in primary education majors that focus on science and engineering programs.

In addition, local governments and primary schools should deepen cooperation with normal universities and colleges to train science teachers, the office said, adding that it encourages experts in institutions under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering to work part time at normal universities and colleges.

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