BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- China, which has built one of the world's largest and strongest basic education systems spanning preschool through senior high, is moving to take the sector to a new level that will place greater emphasis on the well-rounded development of students.
At a national meeting held in Beijing on Wednesday, priorities for the next phase of basic education were laid out, with an emphasis on moral development, a health-first approach, better allocation of educational resources, and closer coordination among schools, families and society.
In an instruction conveyed at the meeting, President Xi Jinping said China has treated basic education as a cornerstone of its broader education strategy, laying a solid foundation for its goal of becoming a leading country in education.
VIRTUE, HEALTH
China is home to the world's largest basic education system. The country now has around 430,000 primary and secondary schools and kindergartens, serving 220 million students.
In March, Education Minister Huai Jinpeng said China's basic education coverage and key indicators had surpassed the average levels of upper-middle-income countries, with preschool and compulsory education reaching the averages of high-income countries.
The findings derive from an analysis conducted by the China National Academy of Educational Sciences, leveraging data and assessment indicators from UNESCO, the World Bank and the OECD. Of the 62 indicators examined, China matched the average levels of high-income countries in 28, exceeded them in 23 and came close in the remaining 11.
In the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Chinese students have consistently ranked among the world's top performers, particularly in mathematics, reading and science.
Despite its strong overall performance, concerns remain that China's basic education system may still place too much emphasis on academic achievement and test scores, adding to the academic pressure faced by some students.
In Wednesday's instruction, Xi called for fulfilling the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education. He also stressed a health-first approach and efforts to improve students' physical and mental well-being.
This emphasis on a health-centered approach to education marks a clear shift away from an exam-score-driven mindset toward a more balanced view of student development, according to experts.
For schools, the policy shift means strengthening physical and arts education, practical skills training and mental health support, helping students build physical strength and develop resilience, they noted.
"We aim to build a campus filled with the sights of children running and the sounds of their laughter," said Liu Weijun, Party chief of a primary school in Taizhou, east China's Jiangsu Province.
FAIR SHOT
For a vast and populous country with regions at different levels of development, making quality education broadly accessible to children has been a major achievement of China's basic education system.
Xi has stressed the need to further expand access to quality basic education while promoting fairness in education.
He has emphasized the role of education in promoting social equity, calling for the benefits of educational development to reach all people more broadly and equitably.
"We should give special attention to helping children from impoverished families gain access to education, break the cycle of poverty, and ensure that every child grows up with confidence and hope for the future," Xi once said.
To turn that vision into reality, China has continued to channel more educational resources to under-resourced areas, working to narrow disparities in educational opportunities between urban and rural areas, across regions and among schools. Particular emphasis has been placed on improving basic education in remote, ethnic minority and less-developed areas.
These efforts have produced measurable results. Basic balance in compulsory education has been achieved across all 2,895 county-level administrative regions in China. Today, 97 percent of school-age children with disabilities are enrolled in compulsory education. All schools are now connected to the internet, allowing more rural schools to participate in live online classes alongside their urban peers.
The impact is evident in Xizang. "Through partnerships with schools in other regions, more and more students from Nagqu now have access to quality education," said Ddrup Tsega, head of the Nagqu No. 2 Senior High School. He said the exchanges have helped improve teaching quality while creating more opportunities for local students.
Looking ahead, Tian Zuyin, head of the Ministry of Education's Department of Basic Education, said China will continue expanding access to high-quality basic education, addressing challenges in education reform and development, and ensuring that more children benefit from quality education.
COORDINATED EFFORTS
In Xi's view, basic education should be a shared responsibility. It requires stronger collaboration among schools, families and society to create an environment in which young people can grow, learn and thrive. That vision was reinforced in his latest instruction, which urged schools, families and society at large to work in concert to support young people's development.
Across China, that vision is taking shape through innovative local initiatives. In the northeastern city of Dalian, more than 100 primary and secondary schools have partnered with dozens of museums, art centers and other public facilities to offer immersive, hands-on learning experiences beyond the classroom.
This summer, the Chongqing Science and Technology Museum in southwest China has become one such learning hub. Spanning nearly 30,000 square meters of exhibition and educational space, the museum is hosting a wide range of science activities, offering students immersive opportunities to explore cutting-edge technologies.
"Here, children are encouraged to think like scientists and experiment like engineers," said Zheng Ji'an, head of the museum.
Li Yi, director of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, said his commission will continue to deepen education reform by better integrating resources and bringing together teachers and professionals from across society.
While schools, families and communities all have a role to play, Xi has stressed that high-quality basic education depends on a strong teaching workforce. "For an individual, having a good teacher is a blessing. For a school, having good teachers is a source of pride. And for a nation, a steady stream of good teachers is the foundation of its future," he once said.
Echoing that belief, Xi's latest instruction stressed the importance of cultivating a high-caliber, professional teaching workforce. China now has 15.76 million full-time teachers in basic education, accounting for 84.3 percent of the country's teaching personnel.
"Next, we will better prepare teachers in primary and secondary schools and kindergartens, with greater emphasis on classroom practice, interdisciplinary teaching and supporting students' well-being," said Song Huan, a professor at Beijing Normal University. ■
