Invigorating China Through Science and Education
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CSC 10th Anniversary Celebration Held in Beijing
The 10th Anniversary Celebration of China Scholarship Council and the Forum of Talents Cultivation and Building Harmonious Society were held on June 16th 2006 in Beijing Hotel. Mr. Zhou Tienong, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Mr. Zhou Ji, Minister of Education of P. R. China, Dr. Wang Dingzuo, Vice President of Chinese Academy of Engineering, Li Ying, Vice-Governor of Gansu Province, Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, Federal Minister and Chairman of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, representatives from the diplomatic missions in Beijing, Mr. Ashfaqur Rahman, Ambassador of Bangladesh to China, Dr. Christian Bode, Secretary-General of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Dr. Richard Trainor, Principle of King??s College of the UK, Prof. Anders Flodstrom, President of the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) of Sweden, Dr. Zhou Qifeng, President of Jilin University and Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. Sun Wuxue, President of the Northwest A&F University of P. R. China, Dr. Rao Zihe, President of Nankai University of P. C. China, Dr. Li Xiaohong, President of Chongqing University of P. C. China, Dr. Zhan Tao, President of Shandong University of P. C. China, Prof. Liu Chuansheng, Party Secretary of Beijing Normal University of P. C. China and Prof. Zhou Jialun, Party Secretary of Tongji University of P. C. China presented in the Opening Ceremony of the Celebration. More than 600 guests, including university leaders from domestic and abroad, leaders and representatives from provincial education organizations at all levels, diplomats from foreign diplomatic missions in Beijing, representatives from NGOs and foreign education organizations attended the Opening Ceremony. Chen Zhili, the State Councilor congratulates China Scholarship Council through a Congratulatory Message, Li Lanqing, the former Vice-Premier, Han Qide, Vice-Chairman of National People??s Congress and Zhou Tienong, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) wrote inscriptions for the Celebration. Zhang Xinsheng, the Vice-Minister of Education, Chairman of China Scholarship Council, chaired the Opening Ceremony. Eight honored guests including Zhou Tienong, Zhou Ji and Ashfaqur Rahman addressed the Opening Ceremony. The Forum of Talents Cultivation and Building Harmonious Society, chaired by Zhang Xiuqin, Secretary-General of China Scholarship Council, was held after the Opening Ceremony. Zhang Xinsheng, the Vice-Minister of Education and Chairman of China Scholarship Council, Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, Federal Minister and Chairman of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and three other guests gave their keynote speeches. Sub-Forums on International Talents Cultivation and Building Harmonious Society and Management, Development of International Education Organizations and International Student Mobility were set under the main Forum. Representatives from domestic and abroad attended the sub-forums according their own interests. In the Agreement Signing Ceremony, China Scholarship Council signed agreements on cooperation with relevant regions, provinces and universities. Agreement on Special Human Resource Development Program for the Western China was signed with 6 western provinces of China, including Guangxi Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Ningxia Province, Qinghai Province, Shaanxi Province and Tibet Autonomous Region; Agreement on Co-Sponsoring Chinese Citizens to Study Abroad was signed with Hebei Province and Liaoning Province, Agreement between China Scholarship Council and Beijing Branch, Pingan Life Insurance Company of China, Ltd. on the Comprehensive Insurance Scheme for International Students Studying in China under the Foreign Government Scholar Programs with Beijing Branch, Pingan Life Insurance Company of China, Ltd., Memorandums of Understanding were signed with Harvard University of the USA, University College London of the UK, University of Manchester of the UK and Utrecht University of the Netherlands. The foundation of China Scholarship Council is an important part of the reform on the state sponsored studying abroad programs. Since 1996, the selection and the administration of the work of study-abroad and study-in-China have experienced radical reforms and improvements. The principles of "Individual Application, expert evaluation, fair competition, selection by merit and bonded sponsorship" and "increasing the number of the state scholarship grantees, raising the qualities of government scholarship holders, improving the administration and management, and insuring and guaranteeing the quality" have been carried out throughout CSC??s work of both study-abroad and study-in-China. During these 10 years, CSC has always progressed with the times, broken new ground, and formulated a set of reasonable, scientific procedures for selecting recipients of state grants to study abroad by gradually turning it into a legal, institutional and standard basis and creating it as a structure with multiple forms, channels and levels. All the measures have successfully increased the number of students and scholars funded by the state fund for studying abroad. In 1996, 2,049 students and scholars were sponsored by SSSAP, the number exceeded 3,000 in 2000, and it further raised to 7,000 in 2005 with an increase of 75% above the previous year, marking 2005 the year of the biggest number of SSSAP awardees. Till 2005, China Scholarship Council has sent out 22,031 students and scholars to study abroad under the SSSAP, 18,098 of the 18,654 students and scholars sponsored by the SSSAP who should come back to China has finished their studies and returned to their home country, the total return rate reached 97.02%. The fields of priority under the SSSAP are focused on 7 fields, which are of great importance to the countrys development, they are communication and information technology, agriculture technology, life science and demology, material science, energy and environmental science, engineering, applied social sciences and other subjects related to WTO. The SSSAP students and scholars are mainly sent to 49 countries. During these ten years, some of them have become academic authorities in their own fields; some of them have acceded to leading positions in their universities or working organizations; and some of them have become the main force of innovation and development of Chinas modernization and development. Through constant exploration and practical experience over the past ten years, the number of international students under the Chinese Government Scholarship Program has increased from around 4,000 to more than 7,000 per year. The number of international students accepted in 2005 increased by 80% compared to that of 1998. Until the end of 2005, the total number of international students studying in China has exceeded 140,000, from 179 origin countries. Over the past few years, the Chinese government has increased the number of government scholarships to international students and their academic level and quality have been improved dramatically. In 1998, the number of scholarship students accounted for 52.5% of the total number of international students studying in China on degree programs. In 2005, the proportion raised to 58.5%, with an increase rate of 6%. With the developments of China??s higher education, more and more foreign countries begin sending their students to study in China. And the number of self-financed international students also sees rapid increase. CSC seizes the opportunity and set up cooperative scholarship schemes to manage the scholarship programs set up by foreign governments sponsoring their students studying in China. Over the past ten years, CSC closely adhered to series of policies and decisions made by the State in areas of studying-abroad and studying-in-China, and focused on the institutionalization and internationalization of the organization. The number of students and scholars sent abroad and international students come to study in China have experienced great increase. The efficiency of the state scholarship programs has been raised dramatically, which have made great contribution to the strategy of invigorating China through science, education and personnel.
Premier on development of education, science
Premier Wen Jiabao Friday pledged to continue implementing the strategy of invigorating China through science and education and stay on the road of sustainable development. "In the course of development, we will steadfastly give priority to education and devote more energy and financial resources to accelerating its development," Wen said in a report on government work at the opening of the Second Session of the Tenth National People's Congress. According to the premier, China will adopt a fresh round of measures to implement the Action Plan for Reinvigorating Education, with the focus on compulsory education, particularly in rural areas. This year China will begin to implement the plan to make nine-year compulsory education basically available throughout the western region and basically eliminate illiteracy among the adults there by 2007. The central government will spend 10 billion yuan on this work. Meanwhile, the central government will contribute 6 billion yuan to carrying out the second phase of the plan for renovating dangerous primary and secondary school buildings in rural areas. Both central and local governments will increase their investment to develop modern distance education in rural primary and secondary schools. The government will work to optimize the education structure, take energetic and steady steps to develop higher education, and put more effort into developing vocational education and continuing education. This year, the government will continue to concentrate on formulating a medium- and long-range state plan for developing science and technology in order to define the strategy, objectives, tasks and policies in this field for the coming 15 years.
China initiates action plan for invigorating education
China officially initiates its "2003-2007 Action Plan for Invigorating Education" in an effort to accelerate educational reform and development, Minister of Education Zhou Ji announced at a press conference Wednesday. The Action Plan, serving as guidelines for China's educational development in its present crucial state, noted Zhou, lays out the blueprints for carrying out further the strategy of rejuvenating China through science and education and through human resource development. The document lists six major projects China will implement in the coming five years, including on quality-oriented education, on innovation in vocational education and training, on teaching quality and teaching reform in institutions of higher education, on employment promotion for college graduates, on educational informatization, and on building up a competent teaching and administration system. Among these, said Zhou at a press conference here hosted by the Information Office under the State Council, programs on higher education and on educational informatization have started. According to the plan, the government's investment in education will expand faster than the growth of the nation's fiscal income, and the government will gradually increase the students'educational expenses and the teachers'salary. China's investment in education currently accounts for 3.41 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) and China aims for it to reach 4 percent of its GDP in a relatively short period of time,Zhou said, noting that the increased investment will mainly be spent on rural education, particularly compulsory education in the countryside.
Knowledge Graph
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1 Conscious of its role in invigorating China through science and education and pursuing its traditional style of "hard work, simple living, diligent learning, all-round development and courageous innovation, "BUAA is deepening its reform in education and striving to realize its goal of becoming a "top-rate university in China, well-known throughout the world."
2 Premier Li Peng stressed that "invigorating China through science and education" is a mission not only for the scientific community, but also for the whole country.
3 China has been using the slogan "Invigorating China through Science and Education.