Hou Zixin, deputy to the 10th National People's Congress and president of the highly respected Nankai University, located in Tianjin, has said that he felt very satisfied with the huge capital injection in education provided in the last five years by this government; a fact that was clarified in Premier Zhu Rongji's Report on the Work of the Government delivered at the NPC meeting on March 5.
In an exclusive interview with China.org.cn, Hou said how he clearly remembers Premier Zhu's promise that the government would develop China through a "science and education" strategy, at the inaugural ceremony five years ago.
"He has kept his promise," Hou said, "The capital appropriated for education has increased by 1 percent in central budget each year - the accumulative amount exceeding 40 billion yuan in five years."
Taking Nankai University for example, Hou pointed out that, "Funds that the university received from the government in 2002 had reached 700 million yuan, twice that of 1997." He was quick to point out that these funding figures did not contain the outlay for construction costs for campus improvement.
He praised very highly the State Council's decision to enlarge enrollment for higher education in 1999, saying that was a very significant thing for education at that time. "It met a growing need for people to realize that higher education would improve the quality of everyone's life," he said.
Nankai University was a member of both the 211 Project, according which government supports 100 universities in the 21st century, and the 985 Project that aims to develop a number of first-class universities in the world. Thus it was given special financial support from the Ministry of Education and local government to attract international acclaim. Hou said that the university would adjust its curriculums arrangement, enhance its facilities and improve the abilities of its students to suit the development of a changing economic and social situation in China.
On Thursday morning, Hou, along with 2,900 other deputies, heard the budget report given by the financial minister, Xiang Huaicheng, and the planning report given by Zeng Peiyan, director of the State Development Planning Commission.
"Although fiscal spending seems tight this year, spending in education as well as in agriculture and social security continues to rise," Hou commented. He is confident about the future of China's education and says, "The strategy of developing China through science and education obviously remains unchanged."
(China.org.cn by Staff Reporter Tang Fuchun, March 9, 2003)
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