Shanghai to realize modernization of education by 2010

Shanghai has set goals to implement comprehensive reform and development of education in an all-round way. By 2010 it will realize modernization of education, sources from educational departments say.

The city will construct a complete system for moral education; implement the guidance for promoting and fostering national spirits in schools, strengthen education of integrity, education of observing laws and discipline, and education to enhance professional ethics. Shanghai will guide students to erect correct view towards life by making and carrying out compendium for life education.

"Reducing burden" is where the comprehensive educational reform in Shanghai begins. The elementary and high schools will further rectify selection of textbooks, clear up teaching and studying materials for students' use; tightly control amount of home work and tests; schools are not allowed to add or cut courses and school hours randomly, and are not permitted to give extra classes at rest time. The school admission rate will no longer serve as an criterion in assessing school work. Educational departments should not appraise quality of education by using tests that are not specified in regulations.

Pushing the balanced development of compulsory education in an all-round way is the key in deepening educational reform. It requests narrowing gaps between rural and city, schools in terms of investment in educational expense, facilities and resource of teacher. Conditions of schools at suburb need to be improved notably. More efforts ought to be given to assistance to rural areas, encourage and attract excellent university graduates to teach in village school, and raise treatment for rural teachers.

The reform on students recruit will stick to such a principle that students should enter schools near their homes without taking exam. Elementary schools and high schools are forbidden to organize selection exam in any form and students that enter the school ought be made known to the public. Senior high schools ought to push forward the student recruit reform on the basis of exam results and comprehensive assessment of student's quality. Experimental schools and model schools shall test run the method to distribute recruit quota to middle schools.

Universities should create multi patterns of college entrance exams. Student recruit featuring comprehensive assessment, multiple options and self-dominant students recruit should be pushed. Qualified high school students will be eligible to apply for entrance to higher vocational school

Shanghai is speeding up adjustment to university layout and steadily expanding the scales of higher education. It will focus on building one to two universities with brand-new system and mechanism during the 11th five-year-plan, and further quickens construction of key subjects.

By People's Daily Online