National Development and Reform Commission's Social Department: "The 15th Five-Year Plan" will explore extending the compulsory education years.

On the afternoon of March 7th, Liu Dechun, director of the Social Development Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference that the draft outline of the "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan" has made a series of deployment arrangements in education, healthcare, and social security. In terms of education, efforts will be made to increase the average years of education for the working-age population by 0.4 years, from the current 11.3 years to 11.7 years. Focus will be on improving the quality of basic education. The plan includes promoting high-quality and universal access to preschool education, balanced and high-quality development of compulsory education, gradually expanding the scope of free education, exploring to extend compulsory education years, and constructing, renovating, and expanding 1000 high-quality regular high schools. Regarding healthcare, efforts will continue to strengthen public health capacity, optimize the functional positioning and layout of medical institutions, and raise the average life expectancy to 80 years. The foundation of healthcare will be improved, with the establishment of 1000 closely-knit county-level medical communities. Quality healthcare resources will be evenly distributed, enhancing the quality and efficiency of 125 regional medical centers, supporting the internal construction and clinical diagnosis and treatment capability enhancement of a group of high-level provincial hospitals. In terms of social security, coverage of unemployment and work-related injury insurance will be expanded, a sound occupational injury protection system will be established, and the participation rate of flexible workers, migrant workers, and new forms of employment will be increased.