Tibetannet

The 2016 NPC and CPPCC sessions have already finished. On the 16th of March, Premier Li Keqiang convened a press conference, responding to the questions raised by Chinese and foreign journalists. Amongst which, there are some questions that are closely associated with ordinary Tibetan people’s life.

4. Education

What will be done this year?

Public education investments will be strongly directed to the central-western area as well as remote and poor areas.

What will be done in the next 5 years?

Implement the standardization of compulsory education schools, popularize high-school education, build world first class universities and first class sciences, the number of years for the entire labor-age population to be allowed access to education will be increased from 10.23 years to 10.8 years.

What will Tibet do?

In 2016, 250 rural bilingual kindergartens will be built, completing the acceptance check regarding the balanced development of compulsory education in 14 counties. 1,000 bilingual teachers and teachers of shortage subjects will receive directional training, therein the “team aid work in Tibet” with 800 teachers participating will be carried out. In the next 5 years, there will be increased investments in urban and rural pre-school education; the pre-school gross enrollment rate will reach over 80%. Implement the national- common-language education as well as teaching in mixed-classes composed of students from different ethnic groups; the bilingual education coverage rate will reach 100%. The implementation of compulsory education schools standardization will be expedited, therein basically realizing a balanced development inside of counties; the compulsory education consolidation rate will reach 95%. High school gross enrollment rates will reach 90%. Guarantee the average number of years for the new labour population to get access to education will be over 13 years.

5. Elderly Care

What will be done this year?

Continue to increase the standard of basic pension for retirees.

What will be done in the next 5 years?

Promote balanced development of population, improve the elderly care service system.

What will Tibet do?

In the next 5 years, realize the nationwide insurance registration plan, therein improving the social insurance system and social assistance system that will cover all of the residents living in urban and rural areas. Push for the reformation of an elderly care insurance system in the governmental organizations and institutions, improve the urban and rural residents’ basic pension and insurance system; the basic social insurance rate will reach over 95%.

6. Housing

What will be done this year?

Improve the tax and credit policies that support resident feasible housing consumption to meet the rigid demands of housing and housing improvement demands; implement policies to resolve the estate inventory problem.

What will be done in the next 5 years?

Construct a housing supply system that provides basic guarantees mainly with the support of the government and meets the multi-layer demands mainly centered on markets; optimize the housing supply and demand structure, therein firmly improve residents’ housing standards to guarantee the housing demands of ordinary people.

What will Tibet do?

In 2016, further improve the security standards regarding heating and monthly housing subsidies for cadres and workers as well as living allowances for “the three olds” staff (“the three olds” refers to old rural communist party member who entered the Party before the founding of the People's Republic of China, old guerrillas and old traffic officers). New funding arrangements total to 480 million RMB, housing subsidy standard for cadres and workers will improve on average from 200 RMB per month to 400 RMB per month. 600 million RMB will be allocated for relocation housing construction and 609,730,000 RMB for public house-renting construction as well as shantytowns reform.

(To be continued...)