8. We will strengthen the development of social programs and strive to better balance economic and social development.
1) We will continue to place a high priority on education. We will implement the national program to ensure the safety of primary and secondary school buildings and make progress in the standardization of rural primary and secondary schools. We will continue the project to renovate buildings at rural junior secondary schools in the central and western regions, strengthen training of primary and secondary school teachers in the two regions, and improve policies and measures to help migrant workers in cities send their children to school and promote balanced development of compulsory education. We will accelerate development of secondary vocational education, particularly in rural areas. Beginning in 2009, secondary vocational education will be free for students from poor rural families and for all students enrolled in agriculture-related programs. We will continue to improve the infrastructure of county-level vocational education centers and secondary vocational schools and build more special education schools in the central and western regions. The third phase of the 211 Project and the May 1998 Project for higher education will be implemented. The secondary gross enrollment ratio is expected to reach 77%, and plans call for enrolling 6.29 million undergraduate students and 475,000 graduate students in regular institutions of higher learning in 2009.
2) We will energetically strengthen public medical and health care services. We will further improve the system of public health services, and improve our ability to prevent and control serious diseases and to forecast, give early warning against and deal with public health emergencies. We will improve the urban and rural systems of community-level medical and health care services, continue to support development of the county, township, village three-tier rural health service network and community-level family planning service system, and develop community-based health service agencies in cities. We will intensify development of key traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospitals and bases for TCM clinical research. We will increase the reward to rural women at or above the age of 60 who have complied with family planning regulations from 600 yuan to 720 yuan per person. We will fully implement the "lower birthrate equals faster prosperity" pilot project, implement the policy of granting subsidies to rural women giving birth in hospitals, carry out measures to prevent birth defects in all rural areas, and provide routine gynecological examinations for rural women.
3) We will vigorously develop culture, radio, television, film, the press and publishing, sports and tourism. We will strengthen the system of public cultural services, especially the building of community public cultural facilities. We will carry forward development of multipurpose cultural centers in towns and townships, and continue the projects to extend radio and television coverage to all villages and show movies in the countryside, and the Tibet-Xinjiang Project to extend radio coverage in the western region. We will promote the flourishing of philosophy and the social sciences. We will strengthen protection of cultural and natural heritage sites, do a good job ensuring that people can visit public museums and memorial halls free of charge, and improve relevant mechanisms. We will energetically develop emerging cultural industries. We will continue to carry out the sports and fitness program for rural residents and promote the sound development of sports at the community level. We will intensify development of tourism infrastructure and complete the task of developing key tourist sites concerning the early history of the CPC.
9. We will effectively carry out post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction work and lay a solid foundation for disaster victims to live and work in peace and contentment.
1) We will comprehensively carry out post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction to ensure people's well being. In accordance with the principle of putting people's well being first, making overall plans and guaranteeing priorities, we will accelerate the restoration and reconstruction of housing, education and health to improve people's lives in urban and rural areas. We will give priority to rebuilding housing in quake-hit areas, basically complete the construction of rural houses by the end of this year and comprehensively carry out the work of rebuilding housing in urban areas. We will make proper arrangements to rebuild schools, hospitals and other public service facilities and ensure that more than 95% of students in quake-hit areas will move into permanent school buildings by the end of this year. We will strictly abide by mandatory construction standards and specifications, to ensure that we make safe, solid and reassuring buildings while avoiding the extravagance and waste involved in exceeding standards.
2) We will accelerate restoration and reconstruction of infrastructure, including transportation, communications, energy, water conservancy and distribution. We will do everything possible to ensure that roads in quake areas are unimpeded, giving priority to rebuilding trunk highways and roads connecting county seats while also improving rural roads. Restoration and reconstruction of power grids and electricity supply facilities will be sped up. We will intensify efforts to prevent and control geological disasters and restore the ecosystem, and do a good job reinforcing affected levees and reservoirs and draining quake lakes.
3) We will combine industry reconstruction with efforts to create jobs for disaster victims. We will absorb as many workers in quake areas as possible into the reconstruction work. Support will be focused on helping enterprises with large workforces to rebuild themselves and resume production.
4) We will strengthen organization and coordination to smoothly implement the plan for post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction. We will continue to do a good job providing one-to-one assistance, optimize the plan for giving this assistance, and promptly study and solve major problems arising during the recovery and reconstruction efforts.
We will continue to increase exchanges and cooperation between the mainland and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions in economic and trade affairs, science and technology, education, culture, health and sports, accelerate the pilot program for the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao to use RMB as the settlement currency for trade in goods, and adopt effective measures to help the two regions withstand the impact of the global financial crisis and promote economic development. We will firmly seize the historical opportunity for improving cross-Straits relations, set up a mechanism with cross-Straits characteristics to promote economic cooperation, expand the direct mail, transport and trade links between the two sides, and support economic and social development on the west coast of the Straits in Fujian Province and in other areas where Taiwan investment is concentrated.
Fellow Deputies,
Successfully completing all the work for economic and social development in 2009 will be an arduous but important task. We will unite even closer around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Hu Jintao as General Secretary, hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, follow the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents, thoroughly apply the Scientific Outlook on Development, conscientiously accept the guidance and oversight of the NPC, and listen to comments and suggestions from the members of the CPPCC National Committee with an open mind. Let us forge ahead in a pioneering spirit, work in a down-to-earth manner, and strive to achieve the targets for economic and social development and promote sound and rapid development!