Old China was a country with extremely low education popularization and many illiterates. 1949, illiteracy accounts for more than 80% of the total population, the primary school enrollment rate is only about 20%, and the junior high school enrollment rate is only 6%. The rural population is almost illiterate, and they need help in simple reading and writing.
Since the founding of New China, China's compulsory education has made great progress. However, during the Cultural Revolution, the cause of compulsory education was seriously damaged, the conditions for running schools were poor, and the quality of education could not be basically guaranteed. After the reform and opening-up, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council put the popularization of nine-year compulsory education as the top priority of education, vigorously developed rural education, and clearly put forward the grand goal of basically popularizing nine-year compulsory education by 2000. Party committees, governments and the broad masses of the people at all levels are active and enterprising, seeking truth from facts, overcoming various difficulties with vigorous creativity, and basically achieving the goal of "popularizing nine-year compulsory education" in 2000. The popularity of compulsory education ranks in the forefront of developing countries with a large population, and it has established an immortal monument in the history of education in China.
In recent years, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council made a strategic decision to give priority to the development of rural education. In 2003, the State Council held a national conference on rural education to make a comprehensive strategic plan for rural education, especially rural compulsory education. Governments at all levels carry out the strategic decisions and arrangements of the central authorities, and focus on strengthening rural compulsory education with greater energy and financial resources. By the end of 2007, the population coverage rate of nine-year compulsory education in China reached 99.3%, and the number of counties that achieved "universal nine-year compulsory education" accounted for 98.5% of the total number of counties in China. The leap-forward development of rural compulsory education has made great contributions to popularizing national compulsory education and improving the quality of the Chinese nation. Next, I will focus on the new measures and progress in promoting the sustainable and healthy development of compulsory education in recent years.
1. Grasp the key points and intensify efforts to further improve the funding guarantee mechanism for rural compulsory education.
On the basis of implementing the guarantee mechanism of rural compulsory education funds and completely exempting students from tuition and miscellaneous fees, according to the requirements of the State Council leaders, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance jointly studied and formulated relevant policies on adjusting and perfecting the guarantee mechanism of rural compulsory education funds, including: extending the scope of providing textbooks free of charge to all students in rural compulsory education. Promote the implementation of the living allowance policy for students from poor families. Improve the subsidy standard of public funds for rural primary and secondary school students, and realize the benchmark quota of public funds stipulated by the state in advance. Improve the subsidy standard for rural school building maintenance and renovation funds and increase support for particularly difficult areas. Wait a minute.
2, in-depth research, careful deployment, the full implementation of urban compulsory education schools exempt from tuition and fees.
According to the instructions of the State Council's leading comrades, the Ministry of Education, together with the Ministry of Finance and other departments, conducted a systematic investigation and pilot work on the issue of exempting students from tuition and miscellaneous fees in urban compulsory education. On this basis, relevant policies are formulated, and it is decided that all tuition and miscellaneous fees for students in urban compulsory education will be exempted nationwide from the fall semester of 2008. We will continue to provide free textbooks for students in compulsory education who enjoy the minimum living guarantee policy for urban residents, and subsidize living expenses for boarders with financial difficulties. Students in all stages of compulsory education in China have enjoyed the policy of exempting tuition and miscellaneous fees, which indicates that the basic requirements of compulsory education law have been fully implemented in urban and rural compulsory education in China. This is an important symbol of administering education according to law and another important milestone in the history of China's education development, which will certainly have a great and far-reaching impact on comprehensively improving the quality of the people.
3. Summarize experience, popularize typical examples and accelerate the balanced development of compulsory education.
In recent years, the Ministry of Education has conscientiously implemented the relevant provisions of the Compulsory Education Law on promoting the balanced development of compulsory education. Through the implementation of a series of major plans and engineering projects, the state has made macro efforts to narrow the gap in the development of compulsory education and actively promote the balanced development of compulsory education in the region. The goal of "two basics" in the western region was successfully achieved as scheduled, and the population coverage rate of "two basics" in the western region reached 98%, which was 2 1 percentage point higher than 77% at the beginning of 2003, and the gap with the national average was greatly reduced. The construction of rural boarding schools has greatly improved the conditions for running rural schools in the central and western regions. The implementation of modern distance education project in rural primary and secondary schools has effectively alleviated the shortage of education and teaching resources and teachers in rural areas of China, improved the quality of rural education and promoted education equity. The state has also launched the "special post plan for school teachers in rural compulsory education stage" to alleviate the problem of insufficient number and low quality of teachers in rural primary and secondary schools to some extent.
The Ministry of Education has held special work conferences in Chengdu, Sichuan, Shenyang, Liaoning, Dalian and other places to promote the advanced experience of promoting the balanced development of compulsory education in various places. First, put the balanced development of compulsory education in an important position, and make clear the goal of balanced development of compulsory education in the region. For example, Beijing, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Anhui, Dalian, Shenzhen and other cities have successively held conferences to promote the balanced development of compulsory education, issued guiding documents to promote the balanced development of compulsory education, and put forward the objectives, tasks, implementation steps and policy measures for the balanced development of compulsory education in the region. The second is to intensify the transformation of weak schools in cities and promote the standardization of schools. For example, Beijing has invested more than 800 million yuan to improve the running conditions of weak junior high schools in cities and rural primary and secondary schools. Shanghai arranges 200 million yuan each year for the construction of compulsory education schools in financial difficulties areas such as outer suburbs. Through five years' efforts, Chengdu has standardized the conditions for running public schools in the compulsory education stage, basically eliminated weak schools in rural compulsory education and achieved balanced development. Third, take various measures to strengthen teachers' communication. Hebei province clearly stipulates the establishment of the tenure system and the term target responsibility system for principals. The term of office of the principal is four years, the term of office of the same school is generally no more than two, and the teacher has taught in a school for no more than six to eight years. Shenyang stipulates that principals and teachers must be easy to communicate with each other after serving in a school for six years. The fourth is to reform the enrollment method of ordinary high schools. Distribute the enrollment indicators of ordinary high schools to junior high schools in a balanced way, free children and adolescents in compulsory education from the shackles of exam-oriented education, and give children a lively and positive development space. Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Hainan and other places will greatly increase the proportion of high-quality ordinary high school places allocated to junior high schools from 2008. Liaoning and Hainan reached more than 70%, and Hebei and Shandong also reached 50%-60%. These measures have alleviated the competition among junior high schools to some extent, and provided a relaxed environment for the balanced development of compulsory education and the implementation of quality education. Fifth, strengthen governance and standardize the school-running behavior of compulsory education schools according to law. After the promulgation of the newly revised compulsory education law, the Ministry of Education studied and formulated "Several Opinions on Further Standardizing the Behavior of Running Compulsory Education", clearly demanding that the allocation of public education resources should be standardized according to law, and key schools and classes should not be held in various names. Sixth, seriously solve the problem of compulsory education for children of migrant workers. At present, the work pattern of mainly inflow areas and mainly public schools has basically taken shape. According to the education statistics in 2007, there are 7.65 million migrant children studying in primary and junior high schools, of which 77% and 80% are studying in public schools, and 23% and 20% are studying in approved private schools.