You're listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing.
China is gradually providing free senior high school education to more poor students.
The vice-president of the National Institute of Education Sciences Zeng Tian-shan pointed out that China's senior high school enrollment rate is still lower than that in developed countries.
He said in face of the rapid development of higher education, senior high school education remains a weak link in the entire education system.
By 2020, China will provide free senior high school education to all students in the country, with the gross enrollment rate expected to reach 90 percent.
China has adopted a double-track model for senior high school education, namely, the normal senior high education and a secondary vocational education.
Experts say enhancing the quality of senior high school education in remote rural areas should be a top priority.
This is NEWS Plus Special English.
China will extend old-age insurance to its entire population.
State capital will be used to augment the existing social security fund.
Almost 200 million Chinese people are yet to be included in the country's old-age insurance scheme.
The government has vowed to implement the critical illness insurance system on a larger scale, suggesting that this insurance will also be rolled out to the entire population.
As of the end of September last year, around 650 million of the 1.3 billion-Chinese population was covered by critical illness insurance, preventing them from bankruptcy as a result of medical bills.
China also stresses equal opportunities and social security so that everyone can become well-off.
