From June 5 to 6, Education minister Chen Baosheng went to Xiji County in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (one among the remaining 52 poor counties) to investigate and offer guidance on how to fulfill the task of poverty alleviation through education before the end of this year.

He visited a number of local education institutions including a kindergarten, a primary school, two middle schools and two colleges. He also called on students who had previously dropped out of school but had been persuaded to resume their studies.

At a symposium on Xiji County’s poverty relief efforts, Chen listened to the report from local educational authorities and said that, in the next stage, the MOE would work closely with the county to identify gaps that remained against the established targets. He also hoped that the local government could enhance accountability and confidence in the final victory over poverty, and continue to take effective measures to: a) ensure the full coverage of compulsory education; b) pool resources to fill the gaps in the development of quality education; c) reduce the dropout rate and seek balanced development of educational resources; and d) consolidate outcomes that have already been achieved and establish a long-term mechanism to align education with people’s needs and expectations.