context: How Xi addresses the widely acknowledged need for education reform is a closely watched issue, in government and society, and especially by localities. While recent months have seen efforts to further cement Party control, many officials and parents remain optimistic that Beijing will continue to support more of the far-reaching changes promised a year ago. President Xi Jinping’s appearance at this year’s National Education Conference shows his commitment to upgrading education, though perhaps not the deep-and-broad reform package some were hoping for.
On 10 September 2018, President Xi Jinping 习近平 delivered the keynote speech at the annual National Education Conference. He emphasised the importance of education reform, and proposed removing systematic barriers to education modernisation.
To ensure educational equality, People's Daily said that Xi's speech indicated China should
- establish lifetime education programs
- offer equal education to every individual, rich or poor, city or rural, regardless of gender, region or ethnicity
- differentiate education for people with different talent and potential
- set up open and dynamic education processes to enrich education and career paths
To promote education reform and remove barriers, China will
- revise the education evaluation system to downplay scores, credentials, and mania surrounding publication of academic papers without regard to quality
- promote industry-university-research cooperation to boost economic growth
- encourage Chinese–foreign educational cooperation programs