Yuan Liang's Proposal for Advancing Higher Education in China's Midwest
During the National People's Congress sessions, National People's Congress delegate and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Yuan Liang, emphasized to China Science Daily the significance of supporting the development of first-class disciplines in locally prestigious universities with Class A disciplines in the Midwest. He stressed that this support is crucial for ensuring satisfactory education, fostering self-reliance in high-level scientific and technological innovation, and achieving modernization goals.
Due to significant disparities in regional economic development, provincial public budgets, and urban public services in China, universities in the Midwest, especially provincial universities, lag behind their counterparts in developed regions in areas such as discipline development, talent recruitment, and attracting high-quality students. Yuan Liang proposed building a "pyramid" of high-quality higher education, which not only focuses on cultivating the "pinnacle" of first-class universities but also strengthens the foundational role of local universities, especially those with Class A disciplines.
Yuan Liang's suggestions include:
Supporting the Establishment of National "Double First-Class" Universities: Priority should be given to locally prestigious universities in the Midwest with Class A disciplines to enter the sequence of cultivating national "Double First-Class" universities. Implementing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches on "cultivating a large number of leading talents and innovation teams in science and technology" and "cultivating a vast contingent of young scientific and technological talents," efforts should be made to break away from old mindsets, establish new regulations, and cultivate "Double First-Class" universities in locally prestigious universities with Class A disciplines as a preparation team for national "Double First-Class" construction.
Each cycle of "Double First-Class" construction should include at least one locally prestigious university with Class A disciplines from each province in the sequence of cultivating national "Double First-Class" universities.
Exploring Joint Construction by Provinces and Ministries: Efforts should be made to promote the joint construction of locally prestigious universities in the Midwest with Class A disciplines by provinces and ministries. Mechanisms for revitalizing higher education in the Midwest should be improved, the layout of joint construction universities between provinces and ministries should be optimized, and efforts should be made to expand and enhance the quality of joint construction between provinces and ministries. Greater policy and financial support should be provided to locally prestigious universities in the Midwest with Class A disciplines, and these universities should be supported to participate in comprehensive higher education reform pilot projects. A "dual-track" mechanism should be implemented for central and provincial universities, providing certain preferential treatment to locally prestigious universities in the Midwest with Class A disciplines.
Promoting the Cultivation of First-Class Disciplines: Efforts should be made to cultivate first-class disciplines in locally prestigious universities in the Midwest with Class A disciplines. Higher education in the Midwest should be included in the scope of key areas for central fiscal special transfer payments, with increased funding support. Support should be provided for the construction of national excellent engineering colleges, national university science and technology parks, national regional medical centers, and other innovative platforms in locally prestigious universities in the Midwest with Class A disciplines. Efforts should be made to deepen integration between industry and academia, education and research, and medical education and research, in order to cultivate and train high-quality talents.
Support should be provided to locally prestigious universities in the Midwest to integrate into national regional strategies. For example, efforts should be made to support the integration of higher education in Anhui Province into the high-quality integrated development of education in the Yangtze River Delta region through university alliances, pairing assistance, and collaborative construction between universities and local areas.
