Speakers:
Chen Baosheng, minister of education
Huang Shuxian, minister of civil affairs
Zhang Jinan, minister of human resources and social security
Wang Menghui, minister of housing and urban-rural development
Ma Xiaowei, head of the National Health Commission
Chairperson:
Xi Yanchun, head of the Press Center for the Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China
Date:
September 26, 2019
Xi Yanchun, head of the Press Center for the Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China:
Ladies and gentlemen, journalist friends, good afternoon. Welcome to the second press conference held in the press center. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, much headway has been made in improving the people's well-being, and the Chinese people have enjoyed more benefits and a stronger sense of happiness and security.
Today, we are delighted to invite Mr. Chen Baosheng, minister of education, Mr. Huang Shuxian, minister of civil affairs, Mr. Zhang Jinan, minister of human resources and social security, Mr. Wang Menghui, minister of housing and urban-rural development, and Mr. Ma Xiaowei, head of the National Health Commission, to attend this conference. They will introduce China's efforts to meet people's new expectations, and how it will ensure and improve people's well-being amid its development.
They will make their introductions one by one. First, I'll give the floor to Mr. Chen Baosheng.
Chen Baosheng, minister of education:
Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, on behalf of the Ministry of Education and all people involved in the education sector, I'd like to show my gratitude and respect to you for your long-term support and concern for our work. In the past 70 years, China's education sector has witnessed enormous changes.
First, we can see the scale of our work from the sheer quantity of our country's educational needs. After over 70 years of hard work, China has established the world's largest education system. I'll explain this point with three figures. First, presently, China has around 519,000 schools of all levels and categories. Second, approximately 276 million people are studying in various educational institutions. Third, there are 16.7 million professional teachers in the country.
Second, the growth in quality reflects our growth in competence. After 70 years of hard work, the quality of our overall education system in China now ranks in the global upper-middle range. Take higher education for example. I'd like to share four figures with you. All of them are 60%. Currently, 60% of the country's high-level personnel, 60% of the country's basic research projects and major research tasks, and 60% of the country's key laboratories are based in institutions of higher education. Also, 60% of the country's three most important science-tech awards have been won by these institutions. This is a showcase of China's overall national strength.
Third, improvements in structure reflect the enhancement of functions. So far, China has established a complete education system with a balanced distribution of subjects and a proper structure. In the past 70 years, over 270 million people received higher education or vocational training in China. Of all new laborers, 48.2% have received higher education, with the average number of years of schooling being 13.6.
Fourth, the level of opening up reflects the growth of our influence. In the past 70 years, especially after the reform and opening up in 1978, China's education system has kept opening itself to the world. It has become one of the major forces in international communication and cooperation. The quality and special characteristics of China's preliminary education have been widely recognized in the world. China's textbooks have been introduced in many other countries. Chinese students have achieved good results in the tests of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Presently, China is the largest source of overseas students in the world. It is also the top destination country for overseas study in Asia. China's education system has become increasingly influential in the world. The country has also become a member state of the Washington Accord, which outlines mutual recognition, between the participating bodies of accredited engineering degree programs.
Fifth, the establishment of various mechanisms reflects the support to the system. The leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has always been upheld in the education system. In primary schools, middle schools and colleges, there are coherent systems to promote ideological works and cultivate talent. In 2012, government spending on education accounted for 4% of the national GDP, and this proportion has been basically unchanged for seven years. In 2018, the country's total investment in education was 4.6 trillion yuan, growing 13.4% annually on average from 1949. This figure is very high. The investment in education has become the largest share of government spending.
Xi Yanchun:
Thanks for Mr. Chen Baosheng's introduction. Now I will give the floor to Mr. Huang Shuxian.
