The central government has to provide increased policy support for promoting cultural and educational development because these are also important for China to achieve comprehensive sustainable development, said Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday, as reported by China Daily.
Li's remarks were made during a symposium held to gather opinions on the drafts of the Government Work Report and the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020). The symposium was attended by State Council leaders, the teams writing the drafts, and seven representatives from fields like arts, education, health, sports, science and grassroots enterprises.
It was the last of three symposiums presided over by the premier. On Monday, the previous two symposiums were attended by leaders of non-Communist parties and economists.
"The ultimate driving force for national development comes from people, and the government needs to make better efforts in creating an equal environment for competition to stimulate people's creativity," said Li.
The two-hour symposium featured numerous animated discussions, with Li frequently raising questions.
Meng Qingguo, Party secretary of the Tianjin University of Technology and Education, said during the symposium that nurturing high-quality technical talent is important so that the manufacturing industry becomes more competitive.
"The problem we face now is a lack of good vocational teaching resources, especially in the remote and poverty-stricken areas in west China," said Meng. "Also, it is hard to find experienced workers in particular industries who can be trained as vocational teachers because we don't know where to look for them."
Meng suggested building a database of outstanding individuals who are technically talented to address the problem. He also stressed the importance of putting more efforts into vocational education.
Zeng Yixin, head of Beijing Hospital, spoke about the importance of medical insurance as integral to the country's medical reform. Premier Li agreed with his suggestions and said that the government will provide more financial support for medical insurance, especially for serious illnesses.
Mo Yan, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2012, focused his suggestions on the country's primary education, saying that students should receive more popular science education as early as primary school.