Shou Xiaoli:

Thank you, Mr. Huai. The floor is now open for questions. Please identify the media outlet you represent before asking questions.

CCTV:

The National Education Conference has made a series of new arrangements for building a leading country in education. Could you elaborate on how the MOE will implement the guiding principles of the conference and ensure that these arrangements are effectively carried out? Thank you.

Huai Jinpeng:

Thank you for your question. I will answer this.

As everyone knows, the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee established the integrated advancement of education, science and technology, and talent as an important foundation and support for enhancing the overall efficiency of the national innovation system, and it also laid out tasks for deepening comprehensive education reform. The convening of the National Education Conference has clarified significant tasks and strategic measures for the further development of the education sector, helping to deepen the implementation of the guiding principles of the third plenary session and achieve the grand goals of Chinese modernization established by the 20th CPC National Congress. Over this period, the entire education system has been comprehensively learning, understanding and promoting the guiding principles of the general secretary's important speech and the National Education Conference, treating the building of a leading country in education as the "No. 1 project" to promote implementation. The MOE will deeply study and understand these principles and fully communicate with local governments and departments to further consolidate a common understanding and jointly advance the building of a leading country in education. Moreover, the MOE will make in-depth plans for implementing the guiding principles of the National Education Conference, turning grand blueprints into roadmaps, directions into methods, and effectively translating them into vivid practices within the education system to achieve the goal of becoming a leading country in education. We often talk about learning, thinking, practicing and understanding. First, we must learn and think clearly, aligning our thoughts and understandings with the central government's decisions and arrangements on building a leading country in education. At the same time, we need to be clear in our actions and comprehension, constantly exploring and optimizing to combine theory and practice, using the strategic goal of becoming a leading country in education to guide major tasks, major projects, and major measures to complete our work.

In specific terms, our work is planned and advanced from three aspects.

First, we will make the political nature of education more prominent. We will strengthen the comprehensive leadership of the Party over education, implement the project for fostering virtue through education in the new era, and resolutely carry out the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education. This is our foremost project in building a leading country in education. We will conduct and improve the introductory courses on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and deeply promote the integrated development of political education in universities, secondary and primary schools, focusing on using successful cases from the great changes in the new era to create a number of brands for major political education curriculum. We will deepen the systematic and theoretical study and interpretation of the Party's innovative theories, and construct a curriculum and textbook system centered on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We will perfect the comprehensive cultivation system of all-round development in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic and labor education, strengthen the coordination of science and technology education with humanities education, cultivate a scientific spirit in students, help them master scientific methods, continuously enhance their humanistic literacy, and strengthen their cultural confidence. 

Second, we will make the people-oriented nature of education more distinct. Currently, China is advancing socialist modernization, while social and demographic structures are changing. To more effectively adapt education to the development of the economy and society, we will establish a basic public education service supply mechanism coordinated with demographic changes, promote the quality and balanced development of compulsory education, and advance the universal and inclusive development of preschool education along with the diversified development of senior high schools. We will strive to address issues of imbalanced and insufficient development, and enhance the inclusiveness, accessibility and convenience of public education services. At the same time, we will deeply implement the national digital education strategy, improve the level of public services for lifelong learning, and build a learning society. We will carry out actions to strengthen the capabilities of teachers inspired by the spirit of great educators, establish a long-term mechanism for building teacher ethics and behavior, promote high-level universities to carry out teacher training, and cultivate a high-level teaching workforce for the new era.

Third, we will further emphasize the strategic nature of education. Over the past decade, China's higher education system has achieved significant accomplishments, securing an important position in global higher education. As we build a strong education system, we'll implement category-specific university reforms and optimize the regional distribution of higher education resources to support high-quality socioeconomic development, particularly the advancement of Chinese modernization. Specifically, we're launching initiatives to break new ground in basic and interdisciplinary subjects, establishing effective mechanisms where technological innovation and talent cultivation mutually reinforce each other to drive high-quality disciplinary development. This represents a crucial step in promoting the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent. We will identify major scientific and technological challenges from national strategic needs, continuously producing original and breakthrough innovations. We will prioritize the cultivation of talent crucial to national strategic priorities, and accelerate the establishment of discipline adjustment mechanisms and talent training models to meet the needs of China's scientific and technological development and national strategies. This will enhance the training of top-tier innovative talent and better align cultivation efforts with economic and social development needs. We will actively promote the transfer and transformation of universities' scientific and technological achievements, plan the construction of regional technology transfer and transformation centers, and strengthen national university science parks and international scientific and technological cooperation. We'll advance high-level educational openness, coordinating efforts to "bring in" and "go global" while building an education center with global influence. Thank you.