School pairing benefits relocated workers

Xiong'an Shijia Hutong Primary School has played an important role in creating tangible benefits for workers who have transferred to Xiong'an New Area, Hebei province, from Beijing.

The school opened earlier this month and has enrolled its first intake of 138 students for the autumn semester.

Most of the students are children of employees at State-owned enterprises and their subsidiaries who have been relocated from Beijing to the new area, according to Hua Guohui, assistant to the school's president.

"We will provide high-quality education for the kids," Hua said, adding that the school's textbooks, curriculum and management style are in line with those of the Shijia Hutong Primary School in Beijing's Dongcheng district.

"My boy likes the school very much, as it provides wonderful classes with multiple themes," said Jiang Hongwei, an employee of China Railway Construction Engineering Group Development Co, a newly registered subsidiary of the State-owned China Railway Group.

Jiang used to work in Beijing. He came to Xiong'an in 2020 when the company sent a working team to carry out projects.

"My children's education is one of my biggest concerns, among many other issues related to public welfare," he said, adding that he also has a 7-month-old daughter.

According to Jiang, the area's healthcare and housing policies are also very attractive. He is planning to buy an apartment and, if possible, he will transfer his registered permanent residence to Xiong'an.

"All those tangible benefits are helping us feel carefree as we settle down after relocating," he said.

The central leadership has stressed that it is important to implement policies and measures concerning children's education, healthcare, housing and other issues related to public welfare to ensure the smooth transfer of workers from Beijing to Xiong'an.

On April 1, 2017, the central government announced the decision to establish the area to relieve Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as the nation's capital and to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

The interests and concerns of relocated personnel have been closely considered during the area's development.

Besides the primary school, there is also a kindergarten and a middle school. Xiong'an Beihai Kindergarten and the Xiong'an Campus of Beijing's No 4 Middle School, both supported by their counterparts in Beijing, also opened this month.

Xiong'an Xuanwu Hospital, supported by Xuanwu Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, will open to the public in the near future, according to the area's administrative committee.