-----An overview of the implementation of the National Outline for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development (2010-2020)

(September 6, 2012)

Ministry of Education

In July, 2010, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council convened the first National Working Conference on Education of this century, and issued the National Outline for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development (2010-2020), defining the directions for the scientific development of China's educational undertaking. The conference, together with issuance of the National Outline, has opened a new historical journey for China to stride forward from a country with a rich human resource into one with a strong human resource. Over the past two years, in line with the requirements of "attaching priority to development, taking cultivation of people as the foundation, carrying out reforms and innovations, promoting equity and improving quality", governments and education institutions at all levels have made great efforts to push forward the scientific development of the educational undertaking, strived to run education to the people's satisfaction. By now, some results begin to emerge.

I. Adherence to attaching top priority to educational development and forming a concerted effort to promote the educational reform and development

Over the past two years, giving priority to educational development has become a consensus of the whole Communist Party of China and all social sectors. A concerted effort to promote the educational development has taken shape throughout the country. Firstly, the relevant authorities of the government at all levels have joined hands in pushing forward the educational reform and development. The State Council has set up a National Leading Group for Reform in the Education System, with membership of 20 departments of the Party, the government and the social sector, and established a task decomposition mechanism for implementation of the National Outline. The CPC committees and governments at all levels regarded attaching priority to educational development as the Top Leader's Project, and the index of education development was brought into the performance assessment system of the leaders at all levels. A new mechanism of close collaboration and concerted efforts has taken shape across the country. Secondly, solid steps have been taken to implement the "three priorities". The local governments have adhered to coordinating the social and economic development with the education development, while underlining the guiding, supporting and driving role of education in the national strategy, regional development and industrial upgrading. Efforts have been taken to guarantee priority in the government spending on education and overall arrangements have been made to ensure its statutory growth, to expand the channels of financial resources and to achieve a reasonable allocation of the funds. It is expected that the government spending on education will account for over 4% of GDP in year 2012. Persistence is attached to guarantee that public resources should first meet the needs of education and human resource development, to ensure a healthy growth of students, to improve the operational conditions of education institutions at all levels and to promote the coordinated development of education of various kinds and at all levels. Thirdly, all social sectors have formed concerted efforts in promoting educational reform and development. The National Education Advisory Committee, first of its kind in the Chinese history, was set up. The first group of 64 members comes from various sectors and industries. The Committee conducts investigation, argumentation and evaluation of key policies on educational reform and development. Efforts have also been made to encourage the social forces to be involved in school management, by setting up parents committee in schools, by forming 43 industrial steering committees for vocational education, and by exploring the system of university council or board of directors. Through the above methods, education institutions, families and the society all get involved in the educational reform and development.