A forum to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the issuing of the Decision on Reform of the Education System of the Central Committee of the CPC, which was sponsored by the Chinese Society of Education, the China Association of Higher Education, Guangming Daily, and ECNU, was held at the University on May 25. Zhong Binglin, President of the Chinese Society of Education, Qu Zhenyuan, President of the China Association of Higher Education, Chen Qun, President of ECNU, and Liu Wei, Vice Chief Editor of Guangming Daily, all attended the forum and delivered speeches.
On May 27, 1985, the CPC Central Committee issued the Decision on Reform of the Education System, initiating education system reforms in China. Since then, China has taken a series of measures to stimulate the vitality of education, including: promoting nine-year compulsory education, with local government taking responsibility for management at different levels; adjusting the structure of secondary education; developing vocational and technical education; and reforming the system of post-secondary enrollment and expanding the autonomy of colleges and universities. All of these changes led to a miraculous development that has made quality education in a country with so large a population possible.
Experts discuss issues related to China's education reform.
Thirty years after the Decision was issued, China is transforming from a country with an investment in education into an education powerhouse; from a country with a large population to one with quality human resources. This calls for deeper and more lasting reform. This year also marks the 5-year anniversary of the Plan for National Medium- and Long-Term Educational Reform and Development (2010-2020), making this forum a particularly relevant one. Participants summarized the benefits and challenges of education reform, analyzed new situations and circumstances, and promoted future development in education.
At the plenary after the opening ceremony, several guests gave keynote speeches, including: Yang Fujia, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sun Xiaobing, Director-General of the Department of Policies and Regulations at the Ministry of Education, Xie Weihe, Vice President of Tsinghua University, and Liu Xiping, Director-General of Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education. They also discussed with the audience the benefits harvested from reforms, and spoke on existing problems pertaining to fundamental and critical education topics.
