Xi Jinping emphasizes fostering virtue through basic education

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of fostering virtue through basic education, calling for efforts to nurture a new generation of capable young people with sound moral grounding, intellectual ability, physical vigor, aesthetic sensibility and work skills. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction on work related to basic education.

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, the Party Central Committee has made basic education a foundational and leading undertaking, and promoted its substantial development through multiple measures, thus providing strong support for building China into a leading country in education, Xi said. He emphasized the importance of fully implementing the Party's educational policy and nurturing a new generation that will fully develop socialism and carry forward the socialist cause.

Xi underlined the need to carry out a health-first philosophy in education, calling for efforts to improve the quality of education and teaching, and promote students' physical and mental health as well as their growth and success. He also underscored the importance of cultivating a high-caliber, professional teaching force, optimizing the allocation of educational resources, deepening the comprehensive reform of education, and advancing coordinated efforts by schools, families and society.

The instruction was conveyed at a national meeting on basic education held in Beijing on Wednesday. Ding Xuexiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese vice premier, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Ding called for efforts to adapt to the new situation of economic and social development and respond to the new expectations of the people, and further advance the high-quality development of basic education.

According to Xinhua, the meeting highlighted the role of basic education in China's development strategy, with a focus on comprehensive reform and quality improvement.