Let Us Work Together with One Mind to Assault the Fortress of Popularizing Nine Years of Compulsory Education

As one of the most populous provinces in the country, Henan Province faces an enormous and arduous task for popularizing nine years of compulsory education (NYCE) throughout the province. In order to accomplish this historic mission, the provincial Party committee and the provincial government have proposed a strategy of "Prospering Henan Province Through Science and Education," in which, from first to last, we are placing education in a position of priority for development. In handling matters of the relationship among the various types and levels of education, we are firmly maintaining that compulsory education must be put in the position of being "the most important matter among all important matters," so as to promote the sustained, healthy, and secure development of compulsory education throughout the province. At this time, in terms of the major indicators, the degree of popularizing NYCE in our province is slightly ahead of the average levels and standards for the country as a whole. The average number of years of education received by the citizens of our province has increased from 6.3 years in 1990 to 7 years today, and thus there has been a relatively significant improvement in the educational quality of our citizens; this has, in turn, helped to promote the construction of the TWO Civilizations throughout our province.