CCTV:

The report to the 20th CPC National Congress noted that education, science and technology, and human resources are the foundational and strategic pillars for building a modern socialist country in all respects, and we must regard talent as our primary resource. What plans do the MOE have for improving the overall quality of domestically cultivated talent and fostering outstanding innovators? Could you please elaborate on the measures and arrangements? Thank you.

Huai Jinpeng:

Thank you. I will take this question.

General Secretary Xi Jinping said in the report to the 20th CPC National Congress that "We will … comprehensively improve our ability to nurture talent at home. All this will see us producing first-class innovators and attracting the brightest minds from all over." At the fifth collective study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on May 29, he further stressed "strengthening the nurturing of first-class innovators at home to provide talent support for achieving breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields." To implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, the MOE has adhered to principles on talent nurturing, education and teaching, and the needs of national development, and strived to improve talent nurturing at home and cultivating first-class innovators. Our efforts are mainly in five aspects:

First, by fostering virtue. We have remained guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in fostering virtue, and promoted the integration of the ideological and political education curriculum across all levels, from elementary schools to universities. We have implemented projects fostering virtue among the new generations by developing ideological and political education curricula and the national youth reading campaign. We have upheld education fairness and pursued higher quality, constantly improved the system of ideological and political work in schools, and guided students to steadfastly follow the Party and its guidance. In particular, we have actively promoted the comprehensive reform in higher education and consolidated the role of basic education as a foundation.

Second, by stepping up the cultivation of basic research talents. We have promoted the cultivation of first-class innovators through the outstanding talents program, the program of foundation consolidation, and the program of cultivating students excel in basic disciplines. We have started to implement the national strategic action for cultivating first-class talents in basic disciplines. Currently, we rely on 288 bases in 77 high-level universities for that cultivation. These have attracted over 30,000 outstanding students to engage in basic disciplines, forming an echelon network of first-class talents in those disciplines. At the same time, we have intensified efforts to conduct basic research in talent development, enhancing the ability of nurturing talent in basic disciplines through strengthening basic research.

Third, by serving the national strategy. We have strengthened talent cultivation, especially for urgently-needed and high-level talents, to meet the needs of the country's economic and social development. Through systematic layout, we have planned to establish 18 national colleges and innovation research institutes for outstanding engineers and promote the integration of industry and education. We are set to build a batch of national colleges for outstanding doctors to train good and noble-minded doctors with outstanding clinical capabilities. The development of new disciplines of engineering, medical science, agricultural science, and liberal arts are deepened, and the first batch of 12 colleges of future technology, 50 modern industrial colleges, and a group of colleges with specialized characteristics have been built.

Fourth, by strengthening talent training in philosophy and social sciences. We have increased cooperation with practice sectors and accelerated talent cultivation in fields of foreign-related rule of law, international communication, and economics. We have also fully advanced teaching in Chinese political and legal practice, journalism and communication, economics, and arts education to create "golden curriculums," and made efforts to cultivate high-quality talents in archaeology, intangible heritage, foreign-related rule of law, international organization, international communication, and related fields.

Fifth, by striving to train more technical and skilled personnel with higher quality, such as skillful and master craftsmen. At present, we have established the largest vocational education system in the world. Every year, around 10 million high-quality technical and skilled personnel graduate from the country's secondary and higher vocational schools, ensuring a steady flow of human resources to serve economic and social development. We will adopt integrated design of vocational education personnel training systems, and further enhance the adaptability of vocational education in order to provide a strong source of talent and skill support for the building of a modern socialist country in all respects. Thank you.