Govt issues academic guidelines

Move aims to improve schools

BEIJING: The Chinese government issued a new guideline to improve school management and promote equality and academic independence.

The document published by the Ministry of Education on Wednesday asks schools to remove enrolment and education policies that discriminate against students and to adopt effective measures to promote mutual respect between students and teachers, school administration and faculty as well as genders and different ethnic groups.

It also vows to provide equal education opportunities for disabled children.

School administrations should show full respect for, and protect the legal rights of students and teachers, including their right to be informed and heard through transparency in school affairs and the establishment of communication channels, said the document.

The guideline also asks schools to protect the academic freedom of students and teachers within legal boundaries.

Schools should adopt a fair system for evaluating academic performance and effective measures to curb malpractice and dishonesty, the document said.

The document also mentioned that more attention should be paid to education and research in an effort to prevent bureaucracy from affecting academic work. — Xinhua