Language schools and cruising taxi fares on agenda

Several ministry-level departments, including those responsible for education, transportation, and development and reform, have responded recently to issues of public concern.

Language school rules and requirements clarified

Foreign teachers employed by foreign-funded language-training institutions in China should have the necessary teaching qualifications and work permits, a notice published on Aug 30 said.

The notice on the approval and registration of such institutions was jointly issued by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration for Market Regulation, in an effort to regulate the development of after-school training institutions.

Foreign teachers recruited by such institutions should also have professional ethics and competence as well as good social credit records, it said.

Chinese teachers hired by foreign-funded language-training institutions should have moral integrity and the necessary teaching qualifications.

Institutions established before the release of the notice should meet the requirements promptly and act in accordance with regulations, the notice added.

Cities encouraged to adjust cruising taxi fares

Cities will be encouraged to explore the adjustment of government-guided fares for cruising taxis to make them more competitive, an official with the Ministry of Transport said on Aug 31.

Meng Qiu, director of the ministry's Urban Traffic Management Department, told a seminar in Beijing that it was part of efforts to improve the dynamic adjustment mechanism for cruising taxi fares.

Cruising taxis are those passing down streets in search of passengers, as opposed to those responding to bookings made via online ride-hailing services.

Meng said that even with the rapid development of new forms of transportation, such as online ride-hailing in recent years, cruising taxi services still accounted for more than 70 percent of passenger traffic in the taxi industry.

The ministry and departments at all levels of government will use administrative, economic and other regulatory methods to deepen reform of cruising taxis, according to Meng.

Ministry seeks to foster frontier science centers

The Ministry of Education wants Chinese colleges and universities to establish frontier science centers to produce innovations and cultivate basic research talent in cutting-edge areas.

The ministry has issued a guideline on the construction and administration of frontier science centers to education departments, colleges and universities, a notice published on Aug 30 said.

As pilot zones for the exploration of a modern university system, the centers should play a pivotal role in talent cultivation and scientific research, it said.

According to the guideline, such centers should conduct research in cutting-edge and emerging areas that are transformative or of strategic importance.

The research quality of such centers should be first-class nationally, with the potential to become world-leading.

Plans for more industrial demonstration areas

China will support the development of new industrial transformation demonstration areas in Beijing, Dalian in Liaoning province, and six other provinces, including Heilongjiang and Guizhou, according to a notice published on Aug 30.

The notice, jointly issued by five departments including the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology and China Development Bank, said development of the first group of such areas has vitalized urban development and gained experience for the transformation of traditional industrial cities.

On the basis of previous experience, plans for construction of the second group of demonstration areas should clarify the goals of industrial transformation and urban renewal, with key construction tasks to be completed in stages, the notice said.

The annual assessment system will be improved and demonstration areas with exceptional achievements will receive more preferential policies and financial support, it said.