Innovation and education keys to the future

Editor's note: In a rare interview last week, Ren Zhengfei, founder and chief executive officer of Huawei, stressed the urgency of improving education quality in the countryside and importance of fundamental research to innovation. 21st Century Business Herald comments:

Speaking with the media in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, Ren touched on two pressing challenges facing China: the comparatively low quality of rural education and a widespread indifference to fundamental research.

Although, the government attaches great significance to improving the education quality and system, and spurring innovations, particularly those that can be commercialized quickly, the lack of input into rural education and the shortage of good teachers means nearly half of the nation's children at schooling age cannot realize their potential. Most of them give up their schooling dream shortly after attending school, realizing that working as farmer or a migrant worker like their parents after finishing nine years of compulsory education is their unchangeable fate.