The opening session of the third session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) was held at the Great Hall of the People at 9 am on March 5. When Premier Li Qiang delivered the Government Work Report, he reviewed the work in 2024 and introduced the tasks of the government in 2025. The report on the work of the government proposes to thoroughly implement the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education and improve the overall effectiveness of the national innovation system.

In the part of "Fully implementing the strategy of invigorating China through science and education and boosting the overall performance of China's innovation system"

We should stay committed to innovation-driven development and make integrated progress in education, scientific and technological innovation, and talent cultivation, so as to consolidate the foundational and strategic underpinning for Chinese modernization.

We will move faster to build a high-quality education system.

A three-year action plan for strengthening education will be drawn up and implemented. The project of fostering virtue through education in the new era will be fully carried out, and integrated reforms and new approaches will be adopted in the political education curriculum at all levels, from elementary school to university.

We will continue to upgrade basic education and develop sound mechanisms for coordinating the allocation of educational resources in response to demographic changes. We will see that compulsory education schools meet educational standards and promote high-quality, well-balanced development of compulsory education. We will increase the supply of senior secondary school places, enhance the quality of county high schools, and promote free preschool education in a phased way. We will improve special needs education, continuing education, and specialized education and guide and regulate the development of private education.

We will advance integrated development of vocational education and general education as well as collaboration between industries and schools to help make vocational education more adaptable. We will move ahead with reforms of higher education institutions on a categorized basis, take solid steps to expand quality undergraduate education, accelerate the development of world-class universities and academic disciplines, and refine the mechanisms for discipline adjustment and talent training models. We will vigorously carry out physical education activities in schools, ensure access to mental health education, and show concern for the physical and mental wellbeing of students and teachers. We will promote the ethos of educators, train high-caliber professional teachers, enhance their professional integrity and conduct, and ensure full payment of teachers' salaries and benefits.

We will press ahead with educational reform and development to meet our country's needs and address people's concerns, and move faster to transform China from a large educational country to an educational powerhouse.

We will improve self-reliance and strength in science and technology.

We will fully leverage the strengths of the new system for mobilizing resources nationwide to intensify the push for breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields and R&D advancements in frontier and disruptive technologies, and accelerate implementation of and forward-looking planning for major science and technology projects.

To optimize the layout of China’s strategic scientific and technological resources, we will advance the reform of research institutes, explore new research organization models for national laboratories, and enable international and regional centers for scientific and technological innovation to better play a guiding role. A greater share of science and technology expenditures will be allocated to basic research, and investment mechanisms will be refined to include both competition-based support and stable funding. Steps will also be taken to adopt a more organized approach to basic research.

We will fully leverage the pacesetting role of leading high-tech enterprises, bolster enterprise-led collaboration between industries, universities, and research institutes, and provide institutional support for enterprises to participate in national decision-making on scientific and technological innovation and undertake major science and technology projects.

The allocation, management, and utilization of central government research funds will be improved. We will refine supporting policies and market services for applying scientific and technological advances and push forward reforms to grant researchers corresponding rights over their scientific and technological outputs produced on the job and place these outputs under separate management. These steps will ensure more efficient application of scientific and technological advances. We will strengthen the protection and application of intellectual property rights and work faster to set up proof-of-concept, pilot-scale testing, and industrial generic technology platforms.

We will refine the differentiated oversight system for venture capital funds and provide greater policy-backed financial support to accelerate the development of venture capital investment and the growth of patient capital.

Opening up and cooperation will be expanded in the science and technology sector. Initiatives to promote scientific knowledge will be advanced to improve scientific literacy among the public. We will nurture dedication to science and strive to create an enabling environment for innovation that encourages exploration and tolerates failure.

We will enhance the overall caliber of talent.

Giving full play to the leading role of talent hubs and platforms, we will work faster to foster talent with expertise of strategic importance for our country and redouble efforts to nurture top-tier innovators, urgently needed personnel in key areas, and highly-skilled workers. Young scientists and engineers should be given strong support and important responsibilities. We will call for the pursuit of superior workmanship and develop a first-rate industrial technical workforce. We will also improve the support mechanisms for talent recruited from overseas and provide better services for foreign professionals.

We will deepen institutional reforms to grant employers greater decision-making power over personnel management and appointments and encourage joint training and personnel exchanges between industries, universities, and research institutes.

We will improve the distribution of talent across regions, foster closer personnel collaboration between the eastern, central, and western regions, and encourage outstanding personnel to pursue successful careers in the central and western regions. We will further reform category-based personnel assessments and address the issue of coveting honorary titles in the scientific and educational sectors. We will put in place a personnel assessment system based on innovation-related capability, performance, outcomes, and contributions. All this will help encourage personnel of all types to devote themselves to research, build solid foundations, and strive for excellence.

Moreover, we will ensure that people moving to cities from rural areas have full access to basic public services in their place of permanent residence; and we will intensify support to see that children living with them receive compulsory education in cities.

We will improve services to facilitate employment and entrepreneurship. We will expand the employment and business start-up channels for college graduates and other young people.

We will continue to raise the intellectual and moral standards of minors.

We will do more to advocate science-informed exercise among young people and provide health intervention services for them. We will see that our young people can build willpower and stay physically and mentally healthy through sporting activities.

Oversight will also be enhanced to ensure safety of school meals and food delivery services.

Source: WeChat Official Account of Central Institute of Party History and Literature Research

Published: 13 March 2025