Chapter 062 Wu Cheng is controversial

Provincial Party Committee Compound Dormitory Area, No. 1 Small Building. In front of the screen of the ultra-thin TV, Xiao Chen, like an ordinary young father, was teasing his son Xiao Qi, who was less than four years old, peeling a big purple grape for him and feeding him, the little guy bit down accurately, blinked his eyes, and tiǎn on his father's fingers.

The rare joy of family made Xiao Chen laugh at all times.

A familiar piece of music, a focus interview, and a voiceover sounded on the TV: "Yesterday, Wang Wenyuan, secretary of the Wucheng Municipal Party Committee, announced: In order to implement the relevant resolutions of the Jiangdong Provincial Party Committee 'Happy Jiangdong', starting from this summer, Wucheng will implement free and compulsory education in the true sense. This has caused widespread concern across the country. ”

Xiao Chen suddenly turned his head and beckoned to Ye Yiling next to him: "Yù Ling, you bring it, I'll listen to the focus interview." ”

Ye Yiling came over from the side a little helplessly, stretched out his hand towards Xiao Qi, and the little guy immediately got up from the ground and ran towards his mother. Ye Yiling picked up Xiao Qi and said to Xiao Chen, "Let's go upstairs first, and then come back after you finish reading." ”

Xiao Chen smiled and nodded, then turned his face away.

"Today, the "China Economic Times" published an article by an expert saying that the popularization of free compulsory education should be 'orderly between the rich and the poor'. The author believes that having money is good to do, which is true for a person and a family, and it is also applicable to a city. Now that Wucheng has taken the top spot in the country, which should have made people rejoice, some of the information revealed in it makes people feel faintly uneasy: if residents in economically developed areas with relatively full pockets enjoy the 'national treatment' of compulsory education before residents in backward areas, how can the fairness of education as a public service be reflected? The authors of the article questioned Wu Cheng's practice as undermining educational equity in impoverished areas.

In order to clarify the facts, in the past few days, I have been interviewing in Wucheng, and have been in contact with the Wucheng Municipal Party Committee, the municipal government, and the education department, and learned about the difficulty and thoughtfulness of their decision to make the decision to 'implement free and compulsory education in the true sense'. But before we do that, let's look at a set of data:

At present, with the continuous increase of education fees, the demand for children's education expenses has become the first demand for family financial management. According to a survey conducted by the People's Bank of China in the fourth quarter, the cost of children's education ranked first in the survey on the purpose of savings for urban and rural residents, ahead of pension and housing. According to the survey, from the perspective of residents' saving purposes, "saving education expenses" is the primary purpose of residents' savings, followed by pension, buying a house and decorating and preventing accidents, accounting for 18.9%, 14.1%, 11.8% and 10.7% respectively.

Perhaps we can easily conclude from the growth of deposit data that 'the wallets of the Chinese people are more bulging than before', but we still have to ask the question: what is the reason why the Chinese people have money in the bank and dare not take it out? Whether a person dares to huā money or not, in addition to being determined by his income level, is also subject to his expected confidence in the future. In terms of the current level of economic development in China, the income of the people is indeed getting higher and higher, but unfortunately, in the case of the disconnection between the development of social undertakings and economic development, people's expectations for the future are becoming more and more cautious, or in other words, people will feel that there are too many places to use money in the future, so the current income can only be placed in the bank.

It is easy to list the many factors that people are afraid to spend money on: we still have a large number of people who are excluded from the social security system such as medical care and pension, and it is reasonable for people to leave part of their income to "prevent diseases" in today's world when the high medical costs are overwhelming; the cost of education continues to rise, and there are even many situations where 'the annual income of a family cannot provide for a college student', and it is normal for people to leave some money for their children to go to school; housing prices are getting higher and higher, and many people have to bear a lifetime of debt in order to buy a house. According to the World Bank's latest China Economic Quarterly Report, housing, children's education, and medical care have become the most important part of the family's burden, accounting for the majority of their income. Experts have also continued to write articles in the media saying that 'medical care, housing, and education' have become a burden that the Chinese people cannot bear. At a time when people are increasingly worried that their income will not be enough to cover the cost of housing, health care, and education, is there any other option for them to save money and put their money in the bank to buy peace of mind?

Economists are calling for the expansion of domestic demand, and the most fundamental reason for the expansion of domestic demand is to expand direct consumption. However, in the current situation of the lack of a social security system, do people really dare to expand consumption? Everyone hopes that they can consume freely, but many practical worries have restrained the pace of Chinese people's happy consumption. Some scholars have pointed out that compared with the rapid economic growth of China in recent years, the pace of social development has not been able to keep up, among which 'the medical field is expensive, housing prices are high, and education costs remain high' is a typical representative. Whether or not we can effectively solve these key issues in the field of people's livelihood is not only related to the vital interests of the people, but also related to whether China's economy can develop sustainably and healthily.

Thankfully, we've seen a lot of positive moves. In the field of education, the state has clearly set out a timetable for the realization of free and compulsory education; In the housing sector, the state's efforts to curb the rise in housing prices have not stopped; In the field of medical care, the goal of providing basic health care for all by 2010 has also been clearly proposed as a political goal. The implementation of these measures will not only improve the social security mechanism, but also will dispel people's worries about their future life to a large extent, release their spending power, and let them dare to enjoy life.

On November 10, 2005, the Ministry of Education released the National Report on Education for All in China. According to the report, by 2007, students from economically disadvantaged families in the rural compulsory education stage will be able to enjoy free textbooks and living allowances, and efforts will be made to implement free compulsory education in all rural areas of the country by 2010 and free compulsory education throughout the country by 2015.

A society in which ordinary people dare to consume money is bound to be a society with a relatively perfect guarantee mechanism, and on the other hand, a society in which ordinary people have little worry about the future is also bound to be a society in which people dare to consume money.

Now, let's go back to the previous topic: on April 6, Sohu reported that "Southern Jiangsu may be the first to announce the implementation of free compulsory education in 3 days", which may be the first relevant news in China. The report wrote: From these cautious words of local education officials, it is not difficult to see that the announcement of free and compulsory education is itself a huge test for local government. Once free and compulsory education is officially announced, it will not only involve the enormous economic pressure that may be brought to the local area, but also may bring great political pressure to the local government.

Although the news is confirmed, local officials have repeatedly warned that it cannot be released before the official opening of the Wucheng Education Work Conference on April 9. Therefore, the article can only go so far, vaguely saying that 'southern Jiangsu may be the first to announce the implementation of free and compulsory education in three days'.

However, on April 8, a newspaper publicly reported in advance that Wucheng would take the lead in implementing free and compulsory education nationwide from next year. In desperation, Wang Wenyuan, secretary of the Wucheng Municipal Party Committee, held a press conference one day earlier on the afternoon of the 8th and announced to the media the decision to implement free and compulsory education.

From the process of releasing this news, it is not difficult to see that the local government is low-key and cautious.

Unlike the cautious and low-key news release, Wucheng's decision on the implementation of free and compulsory education is unambiguous. Secretary Wang Wenyuan's statement at yesterday's press conference was very clean and neat. He said: Wucheng will implement free and compulsory education in the true sense.

Why is it called 'free and compulsory education in the true sense of the word'? Because Wucheng will issue an official document to institutionalize free and compulsory education. Although there have been different degrees of 'testing the waters' of free compulsory education in various parts of the country, it has not been fixed in the form of political documents, formed a system, and officially promoted in an all-round way, and Wucheng's move is unique in the country.

It can be said that Wu Cheng's approach is to bring free and compulsory education into the track of institutionalization and legalization. In the future, there will be no changes due to changes in personnel or the environment. Wang Wenyuan said: "Although there are many things that need to be improved in the process of implementing free and compulsory education, we will unswervingly move forward. ’

Second, the free and compulsory education to be implemented in Wucheng in the true sense is also relatively extensive, deeper, and more thorough. The beneficiaries are public schools (eligible children of migrant workers and private schools) in the compulsory education stage of Wucheng household registration and studying in the diocese. Students in the compulsory education stage of urban and rural areas in Wucheng City are exempted from miscellaneous fees and related fees, and all fees stipulated in the one-fee system are exempted for students who enjoy two exemptions and one subsidy.

Wang Wenyuan told this reporter: Many foreign countries that implement free and compulsory education have different approaches on the issue of whether or not to exempt students from textbook fees, and some countries believe that even if they are free and compulsory education, they must still charge for books, so as to emphasize the responsibility that students themselves should bear for education. However, Wu Cheng still decided to completely exempt students from textbook fees, miscellaneous fees, information technology fees and other fees.

Wang Wenyuan introduced that an important task of Wucheng's current education work is to strengthen the responsibility of compulsory education and comprehensively implement compulsory education in the true sense, that is, free education. Reform and opening up for more than 20 years, Wucheng's social and economic development has advanced by leaps and bounds, last year, Wucheng Lucheng became the first county-level city in the country to fully achieve the goal of a well-off year, and this year Wucheng will fully complete the goal of achieving a well-off year. The implementation of free and compulsory education is the proper meaning of a moderately prosperous society. The level of economic and social development in Wucheng is fully capable of bearing the responsibility of compulsory education, so as to reduce the educational burden of the common people. In addition, the implementation of the free compulsory education system can fundamentally solve the problem of education fees, which the common people have strongly resented.

The article in the "China Economic Times" said that poverty has never been the fault of poor areas, they just fail to enjoy the fruits of economic development at the same time as developed areas, and they should have the right to enjoy government and public services on an equal footing or even on a priority basis.

We should probably agree with this view, but if we put it more comprehensively, poverty is not a sin, and wealth is not a sin. Our society advocates common prosperity, not common poverty.

The further views of the "China Economic Times" article are probably even more debatable. The article says: "If poor areas do not have equal or even preferential access to education and medical services, the consequences are likely to be: the poor get poorer, the rich get richer, and people in poor areas lose confidence in the overall fairness of society." This is clearly not a phenomenon that can be tolerated in a harmonious society. ’

In response to such a question, we have to ask: What is the original meaning of poverty in poor areas? Is it because of the 'clever grabbing' in an economically developed area like Wucheng? The reasons for the poverty-stricken areas are complex, and there may be natural resources, geographical conditions, leadership concepts, and so on, but we dare to say that it is by no means because of the affluence of Wucheng and other places that the poor are getting poorer, and it is unjustifiable to impose such a crime on the developed areas.

It is an undeniable fact that if there is no guidance from developed regions, it is possible that poor regions will be even more backward.

The article in the "China Economic Times" criticized Wucheng for taking the lead in implementing free compulsory education as "rich and rich" and "the first to take the lead", which is itself worth considering.

In fact, the leaders of Wucheng City have long considered that once the official announcement of free and compulsory education is made, it will not only involve the huge economic pressure that may be brought to the local government, but also may bring great political pressure to the local government. But they still did it unswervingly, which shows their determination and the determination of the Jiangdong Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government to promote the 'Happy Jiangdong'."

Yue Bangwei, the mayor of Wucheng City, said: "Compulsory education should be free, and in China, there is one place that takes the lead in breaking through, and other local governments do not want to lag behind, and may be driven." ’

Therefore, what we hope to see more is that Wucheng took the lead in implementing free compulsory education and has exemplary and symbolic significance for the whole country.

In fact, the implementation of free and compulsory education by the state is a general direction, so the practice of Wucheng First Division is reasonable and legal, and it is beyond reproach.

In areas where conditions permit, there is no sin in running as fast as you can. On the contrary, if the qualified areas are required to slow down and wait for the laggards, what practical significance does this have in addition to bringing psychological relief to the laggards?

If we can be the leader, and finally lead and try our best to help the poor areas move forward together, and promote other developed regions to speed up the pace, isn't this kind of 'deep pocket' and 'taking the lead' worthy of praise, but will it be blamed?

In addition, there are poor students in rich areas, just as there are wealthy students in poor areas. Why should we appeal to students in poor areas instead of poor students in rich areas? At the beginning of this year, when the reporter followed Liu Wei, deputy secretary of the Wucheng Municipal Party Committee, and Gan Youjun, deputy mayor, to inspect the opening of the school, the first choice of these two leaders was not key schools and brand-name schools, but the five schools with the poorest economy and the worst conditions, including schools for the children of migrant workers.

At present, there are nearly 4 million migrant workers in Wucheng, and about 180,000 children of migrant workers are studying in Wucheng. These migrant workers work in Wucheng to earn money and improve their lives, in fact, they are helping to reduce the burden on their poor hometowns. What's more, Wucheng's free compulsory education policy will also benefit the children of eligible migrant workers.

According to reports, in Wucheng, the children of migrant workers can not only enjoy nine years of free compulsory education, but Wucheng will also take the solution of the '15-year education' of the children of migrant workers as an important goal in the future.

The article in the China Economic Times said: "We are now seeing a paradox: although the state has the intention to increase investment in poor areas in the fields of education and medical care, it is often limited by the bottleneck of lack of financial funds, while the economically developed areas that are already relatively rich have been able to take the lead in education and medical care because of their abundant financial resources." ’

We strongly agree that the state has a responsibility to support poor areas. As a matter of fact, the state has promulgated many preferential and preferential policies for impoverished areas and the central and western regions. The responsibility of supporting poor areas lies with the state, but the developed regions should have the obligation to help the country fulfill this responsibility, which has been reflected in many aspects of east-west cooperation in recent years. Over the years, Wucheng's dedication to poverty-stricken areas, especially in the fields of education, medical care, and culture in poverty-stricken areas, is obvious to all.

As mentioned above, Wucheng's implementation of the nine-year free compulsory education and '15-year education' for the children of migrant workers should be even more impressive.

Assisting the state in supporting impoverished areas does not mean building on the basis of the developed regions harming their own interests or holding back their own interests. The true meaning of a harmonious society should be a win-win and multi-win policy, and it is by no means jealousy, self-interest or self-harm.

The free compulsory education in Wucheng is a positive attempt by the Jiangdong Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government to further put forward the goal of "happy Jiangdong" after the "two firsts". Thank you for tuning in to tonight's spotlight and see you tomorrow at the same time. ”

Xiao Chen silently lit a blue soft hibiscus king, Wucheng announced that basic education was free of charge, such a thing, Wang Wenyuan, as the secretary of the municipal party committee, of course, asked him for instructions as the secretary of the provincial party committee, Xiao Chen has always attached great importance to education, during his tenure as secretary of the Wucheng Municipal Party Committee, Wucheng's education funding has not only been ranked first in the province in terms of total amount, but also the first in the province in terms of the proportion of political and financial expenditures, as high as 7.9%.

Because he has always attached importance to it, Xiao Chen nodded his head on this matter very happily, and instructed Wang Wenyuan: If you want to be free, you must be free thoroughly, and you must not shout exemption while the school is collecting it.

But what I didn't expect was that after Wucheng implemented compulsory education free of charge, other parts of the country actually raised questions of one kind or another. Of course, the focus talk show still has a clear positive attitude towards Wucheng's comprehensive free compulsory education and the plan of the Jiangdong Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government to "Happy Jiangdong", which finally made Xiao Chen not angry.

Education, health care, housing. The new "three mountains" in front of the Chinese people are also the "three mountains" on the ideal road of "happy Jiangdong", how to move these three mountains, this question weighs on Xiao Chen, secretary of the Jiangdong Provincial Party Committee, -

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