Effectiveness of education outlay to be strengthened

The State Council decided to optimize fiscal input on education, according to a circular released on Aug 27.

In recent years, the State's expenditure on education has accounted for over four percent of GDP, but the fundraising, usage and supervision methods still are not mature.

Therefore, China decided to adjust fiscal expenditure on education, with more funding tilting towards poverty-stricken areas while maintaining the proportion of education outlay to GDP. A fundraising mechanism featuring governments at the core and multichannels as supplements is to be improved.

Consistent fiscal input is highlighted in the circular. By the year 2020, local governments should nail down the subsidy and fiscal appropriation per student in schools of different levels.

Social forces will be encouraged in the education sector. Governments should improve policies in terms of subsidy, service purchasing, fund awards, donation incentives and land allocation to steer more capital from nongovernmental sectors into education.

In addition, the education budget should be arranged scientifically. School construction needs a reasonable layout to avoid a vacancy, for example.

Compulsory education still weighs the most in receiving fiscal funds. A public fund bench mark for compulsory education nationwide will be laid out.

The State Council also asked local governments to put teaching staff as a priority of material guarantee to encourage more talents to pursue education careers. The income level of primary and middle school teachers should not be lower than local civil servants.

Moreover, fiscal support also will go to inclusive preschool education, the popularization of senior high school education and modern vocational education.

The appropriation standard per student for public kindergartens and subsidy policies for inclusive private kindergartens should be formulated in a timely manner.

Budget appropriation system for higher education should be improved to push forward the building of first-rate disciplines and universities. Educational exchanges involving the Belt and Road Initiative will receive favorable financial aid.

Governments at all levels should encourage building informationized platforms and resources, and blending information technologies with education, so that high-quality resources can be shared across different regions, according to the circular.