The fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) opened at 9am today in the Great Hall of the People. Speaking on behalf of the State Council, Premier Li Keqiang presented the government work report to the NPC. 

Speaking of education, he reviewed progress achieved in the past year, including massive rollout of online teaching during the height of the pandemic, resumption of school last September, and over 10 million students participating in the college entrance exam, in spite of the pandemic. 

The Premier pledged to develop more equitable and higher quality education. Priority areas included building a sound training system conducive to developing well-rounded future talent; developing quality and balanced compulsory education; and closing the urban-rural gap in access to education, including by improving infrastructure of rural schools and providing pay raises for rural teachers. The Premier encouraged the private sector to join in efforts to offer inclusive pre-school education. Diversity in secondary education institutions were encouraged, too, whilst vocational education institutions were urged to seek stronger partnerships with industry and businesses. Special education and continuing education would receive further funding, and private-run schools would be supported and better regulated. To provide more equitable education, the Premier said that the government had to make sure children of migrant workers were treated the same as their local peers, and HEIs should offer preferential treatment to students from poorer western provinces and rural areas in admissions.  

According to the report, for the 14th Five-Year Plan period, investment in R&D will grow at more than 7% annually, higher than during the 13th FYP period, to fund the development of an innovation-driven modern industrial system. Education would have a role to play in this respect.