(February 24) According to Yichang Municipal Education Bureau, the Educational Steering Committee of the State Council has officially released the list of the counties (including county-level cities and districts) nationwide that have basically achieved balance of the compulsory education development. 9 counties in Yichang, including Xiling, Wujiagang, Dianjun, Yiling, Yidu, Xingshan, Changyang and Wufeng, are on the list. Thus Yichang City outnumbers all the other cities in Hubei Province in terms of the number of the counties that passed the evaluation of the Committee.

　　In June, 2010, Yichang Municipal Government implemented “Measures on Balancing Compulsory Education Development in Yichang”, aiming to basically balance compulsory education development in all counties (including county-level cities and districts) of Yichang before 2015. To achieve this goal, the municipal government has launched five projects, namely optimization project, standardization project, teacher quality enhancement project, education quality elevation project and caring and helping project. In the past three years, the fund for “two exemptions (textbook and miscellaneous fees) and one allowance (allowance for living expenses of boarding students)” has reached near 0.7 billion RMB yuan. All 13 counties in Yichang have passed Provincial Educational Steering Committee’s evaluation of balancing compulsory education, reaching the goal ahead of schedule. (Reporter: Jin Guiman; correspondent: Xiang Yajun)