Tian Gang, a member the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, delivers a speech on behalf of the China Democratic League during the third plenary meeting of the second session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 10, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua] 

CPPCC National Committee members have called for more attention and investment in promoting the development of national education.

Tian Gang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, believes the Communist Party of China has paid unprecedented attention to education and teachers.

In 2018, the CPC and the State Council issued a guideline on comprehensively deepening the reform of the training of teachers in the new era, a milestone in promoting the development of teaching personnel, Tian said. 

As socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, people have an urgent desire for impartial and quality education, he said.

However, the training of the national teacher team can't fully adapt to the new situation, he noted, saying that some places don't pay enough attention to education and teachers' work, tending to focus more on equipment and facilities. 

In addition, teacher training systems are weakening and some teachers are struggling to adapt to the changing demand in the new era, the CPPCC member said. 

The number of people attracted to teach at primary and secondary level is insufficient and their status and treatment need to be improved, Tian said. 

He also noted the distribution of teachers in urban and rural areas was not balanced enough, with discipline and mechanisms of access, recruitment and management needing to be addressed. 

To better strengthen the training of highly professional teaching staff, Tian suggested deepening the reform of the management system through measures including revising and improving standards for teaching staff in primary and secondary schools as well as promoting a better flow of teacher resources. 

Improving teachers' salaries and benefits via measures such as subsidies and awards should also be considered, Tian said. 

Teacher training is the key driving force of education development and support for teacher training should be stepped up, he noted, calling for the construction of national teacher training bases to further enhance the capabilities of teaching personnel. 

The central government should provide more financial grants and incentives to support education in rural areas, and thus strengthen the training of teaching staff in those areas, he said.