On March 21, 2011, the 2011 Working Conference of Provincial Academic Degrees Committees and the Expanded Meeting of Joint Meeting of Deans of Graduate Schools jointly organized by the Office of Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, the Department of Degree Management and Graduate Education of the Ministry of Education and the Joint Meeting of Deans of Graduate Schools was held in Beijing Friendship Hotel. The conference aimed at implementing the outline of education planning and the spirit of the speech of State Councilor Liu Yandong at the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the Regulations on Academic Degrees, and timely conveyed the work plan of the 28th meeting of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council. Du Zhanyuan, vice chairman of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council and vice minister of the Ministry of Education, and leaders of the Office of Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council attended the meeting. A total of 160 people from the Academic Degrees Committees of 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government and the Academic Degrees Committee of the Army, the heads of relevant departments, the deans of the member units of the Joint Committee of Deans of National Graduate Schools and the representatives of relevant universities attended the meeting.

The meeting officially started at 9:00 a.m. The morning session was chaired by Li Jun, deputy director of Academic Degrees Office of the State Council. Vice Minister Du Zhanyuan of the Ministry of Education and Director Zhang Yaoxue of the Academic Degrees Office of the State Council delivered speeches respectively, and the directors of the Division of Arts, Science and Medicine, the Division of Engineering and Agriculture, and the Division of Quality Supervision and Information of the Academic Degrees Office introduced the work priorities of this year respectively.

In his speech, Vice Minister Du Zhanyuan conveyed to the conference the spirit of the speech made by Comrade Liu Yandong, Chairman of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, at the conference commemorating the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Academic Degrees, stressing that grasping the full implementation of the reform tasks of the education planning outline is a clear requirement of the central government and the key to the national education work in 2011. Degree and postgraduate education must hold tightly to the theme of scientific development, take major reform projects as the grasp, strive to make breakthroughs in key issues and fields, and effectively improve the quality of degree and postgraduate education. It should improve the degree system, actively promote the reform of cultivation mode, improve the quality assurance and supervision system, promote the reform of management system and mechanism of key investment, and accelerate the construction of first-class universities and first-class disciplines. Vice Minister Du Zhanyuan also put forward requirements for provincial degree management departments and cultivation units to improve the management level of degree and postgraduate education.

In his speech, Director Zhang Yaoxue re-emphasized the national goal of building first-class universities with Chinese characteristics and world level, summarized the achievements and problems of the current construction work, and pointed out the connotation and important role of discipline construction in achieving this goal. He also emphasized the 24-word policy of "perfecting system, improving quality, combining science and education, supporting innovation, adapting to demand and leading the future", and put forward that the focus of the degree office this year is "perfecting system, adjusting structure, reforming mode and optimizing environment" in the light of the spirit of the 28th meeting of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council. At the same time, it proposed that the work of the Degree Office this year should focus on "improving the system, adjusting the structure, reforming the mode, optimizing the environment and focusing on the construction" and put forward specific requirements for the relevant work.

In the afternoon, the representatives of the conference were divided into six groups and held group discussions. Everyone speaks freely, expressing their own views on issues of common concern, combined with the actual situation of the unit, a wide exchange of experience, to explore the ways and means of reform. The most enthusiastic topics discussed by the deans in the joint meeting were: how to promote the reform of professional degree postgraduate training mode, meet the national demand for applied talents and improve the social recognition of professional degree education; how to promote the reform of postgraduate training mechanism, optimize the ratio of financial investment and improve the enthusiasm of instructors and postgraduates.

Deputy Inspector Liang Guoxiong of Academic Degrees Office of the State Council presided over the closing ceremony. The convenors of each group reported the group discussions to the conference. Deputy Director Guo Xinli of the Academic Degrees Committee Office of the State Council made a summary of the conference, pointing out that the Academic Degrees Office will continue to do a good job in the systematic design and solid promotion of the reform of cultivation mechanism, further promote the transformation of government functions, strengthen the research on degree and postgraduate education, and join hands with provincial degree committees and universities to make joint efforts for the better and faster development of degree and postgraduate education in China. Finally, Deputy Inspector Liang Guoxiong emphasized that all universities should pay special attention to the internationalization of graduate education. It is required to have an international vision, improve their international competitiveness in the field of postgraduate education, and really make China's degree and postgraduate education go international.

This year is the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the opening year of the 12th Five-Year Plan, the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the Regulations on Academic Degrees, and the key year for the full implementation of the National Education Work Conference and the spirit of the Education Planning Outline. The conference is of great significance for all graduate schools and colleges to unify their thoughts and actions to the central deployment, pay close attention to the implementation of tasks, carry forward the spirit of grassroots initiative, and effectively take up the mission of reform and development of degree and postgraduate education in China under the new situation.

Pictures of the 2011 Annual Working Conference:

2011 Working Conference of Provincial Academic Degrees Committee and Enlarged Meeting of Association of Chinese Graduate Schools(ACGS）was held in Beijing

Mr. Du Zhanyuan, Vice Minister of Education and member of the Party Group, delivered a speech

Secretariat of ACGS

March 22nd, 2011