Zhu Yongxin, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and executive vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, led a team of members from the Committee on Education, Science, Health and Sports of the CPPCC National Committee to survey Shanxi province from June 15 to 18. Their survey focused on accelerating the development of county-level regular senior high schools.

The members went to the cities of Jinzhong and Changzhi, where they visited county-level regular senior high schools, vocational secondary schools, and rural primary schools to gain detailed insights into the progress and reform of the county-level middle school system. They held extensive exchanges with officials from relevant departments at provincial and municipal levels, experts, scholars, and school teachers, broadly soliciting opinions and recommendations.

The team members noted that county-level regular senior high schools form the "backbone" of China's basic education system and serve as a vital link between urban and rural education. Their quality is crucial not only to fostering a balanced and healthy regional education ecosystem, but also to improving the well-being of hundreds of millions of families, advancing the rural vitalization strategy, and strengthening the nation's talent foundation, they noted. In recent years, Shanxi has demonstrated strong resolve and implemented practical measures in advancing county-level high school development, they said.

The members emphasized that challenges facing county-level high schools are not merely educational in nature, but also reflect imbalances in economic and social development, insufficient coordination of public policies, and challenges related to educational values and governance systems. Revitalizing these schools is a complex, long-term endeavor requiring both sustained commitment and a heightened sense of urgency, they said.

The members noted that, as a specialized consultative body, the CPPCC should shoulder its responsibilities and play an active role in promoting county-level high school development. CPPCC members should make suggestions on key priorities, such as promoting the flexible allocation of educational resources, advancing systematic transformation of educational models, building a strong teaching workforce, optimizing the educational ecosystem, and improving supporting mechanisms, so as to contribute wisdom and strength to consolidating the county-level foundation of China's high-quality educational development, they added.