BEIJING -- The National Conference on Education was held in Beijing from Sept 9 to 10. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the meeting and delivered an important speech. He emphasized that building a leading country in education has been a long-cherished aspiration of the Chinese nation since the advent of modern times. It is a guiding task, solid foundation and strategic support for building China into a great country and realizing national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization. We must make solid progress toward this set goal.

Sept 10 marks the 40th Teachers' Day in China. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, Xi extended festive greetings and sincere regards to teachers and others working in the education sector across the country.

Li Qiang presided over the meeting. Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi and Li Xi attended the meeting. Ding Xuexiang delivered concluding remarks.

In his speech, Xi pointed out that education is the foundation of building a great country and achieving national rejuvenation. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, education has been considered a task of critical importance to the future of our country and our Party. We have fully implemented the Party's education policies. We have made major decisions to fully implement the strategy of invigorating China through science and education, accelerate the modernization of education system, and set the goal of becoming a leading country in education by 2035. Efforts have been made to strengthen the Party's overall leadership over education work and constantly promote reforms in the education systems and mechanisms, leading to historic achievements and structural changes in the education cause in the new era, with solid progress made in building a leading country in education.

Xi stressed that the leading country in education we aim to build is a leading country in education of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It should have strong ideological and political leadership, talent competitiveness, scientific and technological underpinning, livelihood security, social synergy, and international influence, providing robust support for building China into a great country and realizing national rejuvenation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization.

Xi noted that building a leading country in education is a complex, systematic endeavor. We must focus on the fundamental task of fostering virtue and educating people, with a view to the goal of nurturing a new generation of capable young people with sound moral grounding, intellectual ability, physical vigor, aesthetic sensibility and work skills, who are builders of socialism and will carry forward the socialist cause. We must follow the path of socialism in managing schools, uphold and apply systems thinking, and correctly handle key relationships between supporting national strategies and meeting the needs of the people, between knowledge learning and well-rounded development, between cultivating talent and meeting societal needs, between adhering to rules and encouraging vitality, and between taking root in China and drawing on international experience.

Xi emphasized the importance of unswervingly using the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to educate people, and implementing the initiative to foster virtue through education for the new era. He highlighted the need to strengthen and improve ideological and political education in schools, educating and guiding young students to strengthen their belief in Marxism, conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics and confidence in realizing national rejuvenation. Young students should be guided to stay devoted to contributing to the country and strengthening the country. They should be guided to strive courageously with a greater sense of responsibility. The successful cases of the great transformation of the new era should be consciously used, and revolutionary resources should be fully tapped in education. Efforts should be made to strengthen practice-based and online education. The use of standard Chinese language should be promoted to forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.

Xi called for coordinated implementation of the strategy for invigorating China through science and education, the workforce development strategy and the innovation-driven development strategy. Education development, scientific and technological innovation and talent cultivation should be promoted as an integrated effort. By focusing on sci-tech development and national strategic needs, innovation capacity should be improved, the layout of higher education should be optimized, and mechanisms for adjusting academic disciplines and talent cultivation models should be improved. More emphasis should be placed on basic, emerging and interdisciplinary subjects, as well as the cultivation of top-notch talent. Research cooperation between schools and enterprises should be strengthened to enable quicker transformation of sci-tech achievements into productive forces. The education system that promotes integration between vocational and general education, between industry and education should be established, and efforts should be made to cultivate high-caliber craftsmen and skilled talent.

Xi emphasized the need to adopt a people-centered approach and continuously improve the inclusiveness, accessibility and convenience of public education services so that more people can benefit from the results of education reform and development. Education resources should be better allocated across regions, with efforts to promote high-quality, balanced development of compulsory education, and to gradually narrow the gaps between urban and rural areas, different regions, schools, and groups. The achievements of "double reduction" in reducing the burden on students should be consolidated, with a focus on improving classroom teaching quality and enhancing after-school services. The national education digitization initiative should be fully implemented, with efforts to expand the coverage of high-quality education resources and improve public services for lifelong learning.

Xi also underscored the importance of implementing the initiative to enhance the morale and professionalism of teachers with the ethos of educators, emphasizing the need to strengthen the professional integrity and conduct of teachers, raise the quality of cultivating and training teachers, and cultivate a high-caliber teaching workforce for the new era. Teachers' political, social, and professional status should be elevated, their pay and welfare should be further guaranteed, and their professional dignity and legitimate rights and interests should be respected, helping teachers enjoy high social prestige and making teaching one of the most respected professions.

Xi also stressed the importance of deepening the opening up of education, balancing "bringing in" and "going global," and continuously enhancing China's international influence, competitiveness, and voice in education. International academic exchanges and cooperation on education and scientific research should be expanded, and China should actively participate in global education governance, to contribute more to the development of global education.

When presiding over the meeting, Li Qiang pointed out that General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, from a strategic perspective concerning the overall development of the Party and the country, comprehensively summarized the historic achievements and structural changes in education in the new era. The speech also systematically explained the scientific connotation and fundamental approach for building a strong education system, expounded on the major relationships that need to be properly handled in the process, and laid out the strategic tasks and major initiatives for comprehensively building a strong education system. The speech features great insight and rich connotations and carries immense political, ideological, and guiding significance, serving as a framework document to guide education work on our new journey in the new era, and providing a clear direction for building a strong education system in the new era from a strategic perspective. We must thoroughly study, understand, and implement the spirit of the speech, aligning our thinking and actions with the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee, and work in a pragmatic and result-oriented manner to write a new chapter in building a country leading in education.

In his closing remarks, Ding Xuexiang emphasized the need to thoroughly study and implement the guiding principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, and develop a deep understanding of the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It is necessary to strengthen consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership; stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership. The political and strategic implications of education as well as its people-centeredness must be firmly grasped, and we must unswervingly follow the path of socialist education development with Chinese characteristics. Consistent efforts should be made to educate people using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and develop key courses to fulfill the fundamental task of fostering virtue and educating people. Education, science and technology, and human resources should be developed in an integrated manner. Systems and mechanisms for scientific and technological innovation at the college level should be improved. The cultivation of top-notch innovative talent should be enhanced. All these will play a vital role in supporting and leading Chinese modernization. The building of a high-quality education system should be accelerated, compulsory education should be equitably developed, and pressing public concerns in education should be effectively addressed. A high-caliber, professional teaching workforce should be built, the ethos of educators should be promoted, the ability to teach and educate people should be elevated, and the pay and welfare of teachers should be enhanced to consolidate the important foundation for building a leading country in education. Comprehensive reforms should be deepened, high-level openness should be promoted, and systems and mechanisms conducive to high-quality development of education should be set up. All localities and departments must work diligently to ensure the effective implementation of the meeting's guidelines.

At the meeting, officials from the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, as well as those from Liaoning, Shanghai, Hubei, Guizhou, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, and Peking University made presentations.

Prior to the meeting, Xi and other leaders met with representatives attending an event to mark the 40th Teachers' Day and honor model teachers and outstanding groups and institutions in the country's education sector. They shook hands and had group photos taken.

Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, relevant leading officials of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, state councilors, the president of the Supreme People's Court, the procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and leading officials of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference attended the meeting.

The meeting was held in the form of teleconference. Participants included members of the leading group for education of the CPC Central Committee, leading officials from all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, cities specifically designated in the state plan, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, leading officials from relevant central Party and government departments, people's organizations, and military units, as well as leading officials from some enterprises and universities under the direct auspices of the central government.