Wen calls for more equalized education services

BEIJING - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has called for boosting education reform and creating more equalized basic education services.

Wen made the remarks while giving a speech at a meeting held on Friday for the purpose of recognizing outstanding teachers and education officials across the country.

He said the development of China's education should be geared toward improving the quality and equality of education services, especially in compulsory education.

"We should endeavor to run every school well and train every student well," he said.

By 2011, China had popularized the nine-year compulsory education among the entire population and almost eliminated illiteracy among the young and middle-aged population, he said.

Wen said the government should provide higher-quality education services and narrow distribution gaps that have caused many schools, especially those in rural areas, to suffer from a lack of both qualified personnel and facilities.

Although most Chinese students are required to enroll in schools near their place of residence, some parents pay large sums of money to enroll their children in nicer schools that are located far from their homes, leading some parents to complain about unequal access to education due to a failure to enforce the residency-tied enrollment rule.

Wen blamed the phenomenon on the uneven distribution of education resources.

"Due to differences in economic and social development levels, inequality in compulsory education  will not be eliminated in a short time. But the objective of promoting equality will not be shaken," he said.