China is aiming to establish a quality and balanced basic public education system by 2027, according to a new set of guidelines jointly released by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.

By 2035 China aims to become one of the world's leading countries in terms of the quality and equity of compulsory education services, the document says.

In the coming years the authorities will work to close the education gap between developed and less-developed regions, with a focus on school facilities, and will continue to spend resources on less-developed regions in central and western China, according to the document.

The education gap between urban and rural areas, among different schools and different groups of residents will also be addressed.

Priority will be given to rural schools. The relevant authorities will work to ensure that all rural children of school age receive compulsory education, while more information technology will be introduced to improve the quality of education of rural schools.

Headmasters and teachers will be encouraged to work at rural schools and those operating in inferior conditions. Policies and measures will be adopted to help children of migrant workers to attend schools where their parents work.

The authorities will also provide better education services for orphans, children without support and care, children who are left behind in rural areas and those in difficult situations.

More resources will also go to schools in regions with large ethnic minority populations to improve the quality of education there.

The document pledges that the government will continue to increase the budget for education, particularly compulsory education.

(Cover image: Students pose for pictures at a junior high school, Fuyang City, eastern China's Anhui Province, June 12, 2023. /CFP)