Compulsory education is the most important part of education and plays a fundamental, leading and overall role in the process of building a well-off society in an all-round way. In order to thoroughly implement the spirit of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Plenary Sessions of the 18th National Congress, and make overall plans for the balanced allocation of compulsory education resources in urban and rural areas, the State Council recently issued the Notice on Further Improving the Funding Guarantee Mechanism for Urban and Rural Compulsory Education (hereinafter referred to as the Notice).

The "Notice" requires that all regions and departments should follow the principle of "improving the mechanism and integrating urban and rural areas; Increase investment and highlight key points; Innovating management and promoting reform; Step-by-step implementation and orderly progress "principle, integrate the rural compulsory education funding guarantee mechanism and the urban compulsory education incentive policy, and establish a unified and focused rural compulsory education funding guarantee mechanism. The first is to unify the policy of "two exemptions and one subsidy" for urban and rural compulsory education. Students in urban and rural compulsory education are exempted from tuition and miscellaneous fees, textbooks are provided free of charge, and the living expenses of boarding students with financial difficulties are subsidized. The standard of exempting students from tuition and miscellaneous fees in private schools shall be implemented in accordance with the benchmark quota of public funds per student determined by the central government. The funds for free textbooks are provided by the state, and the courses are fully borne by the central government. Subsidized living expenses for boarders with financial difficulties are shared by the central and local governments at a ratio of 5:5. The second is to unify the benchmark quota of public funds per student in urban and rural compulsory education schools. The central government uniformly determines the benchmark quota of public funds for compulsory education schools nationwide, subsidizes public funds for urban and rural compulsory education schools (including private schools) according to the standard not lower than the benchmark quota, and appropriately raises the subsidy level for boarding schools, smaller schools and schools in northern heating areas. The required funds are shared by the central and local governments in proportion. The ratio of counties (cities, districts) that implement the western development policy in the western region and the central region is 8: 2, 6: 4 in other central regions and 5: 5 in the eastern region. The third is to consolidate and improve the long-term mechanism of safety guarantee for rural compulsory education schools. Support public compulsory education schools in rural areas to carry out maintenance and renovation, seismic reinforcement, renovation and expansion of school buildings and their ancillary facilities. The long-term mechanism for ensuring public compulsory education schools in urban areas is established by local governments, and the required funds are borne by local governments. The fourth is to consolidate and implement the wage policy for teachers in urban and rural compulsory education. The central government continues to support the salaries of compulsory education teachers in the central, western and eastern regions.

The "Notice" clarifies that starting from the spring semester of 20 16, the benchmark quota of public funds per student in urban and rural compulsory education schools will be unified. From the spring semester of 20 17, the policy of "two exemptions and one subsidy" for students in urban and rural compulsory education will be unified. In the next few years, relevant policies and measures will be improved in a timely manner according to the actual situation.

The establishment of rural compulsory education funds guarantee mechanism is a major institutional breakthrough to actively adapt to the new urbanization and household registration system reform in the field of basic public services and keep the bottom line of people's livelihood. It is also a major institutional innovation to improve the integration of urban and rural compulsory education development and promote the urbanization of agricultural transfer population. It is another milestone in the history of the development of compulsory education in China, and it is of great significance to promote education equity, improve education quality and realize the portability of related education funds.

The Notice requires that all regions and relevant departments should strengthen organizational leadership, ensure the implementation of funds, strengthen supervision and inspection, and promote the implementation of a unified funding guarantee mechanism for urban and rural compulsory education.