Anshan municipal government in East China's Liaoning Province recently announced that the city will launch pilot programs for free high school education beginning this fall. The first batch of seven high schools will enroll around 4,000 students who will benefit from tuition exemptions and free textbooks.

The Beijing News carries a commentary saying that this measure could greatly help reduce juvenile delinquency. In undeveloped regions in China, especially in rural areas, many poor students give up their studies after finishing their nine-year compulsory education. Some even drop out of junior high school, believing that they would have little chance of attending high school. Many of their parents have left for the cities to find work, so they begin wandering around. Marginalization by mainstream society often leads them to commit crimes. Therefore, Anshan's introduction of free high school education is a big step forward for the educational system, and also carries social significance.

The paper also suggests that free high schools cover both academic subjects and occupational training to best promote mass education. Teachers should not only impart knowledge, but also train students to work in certain professions and cultivate their sense of social responsibility.

If the pilot program can be introduced in moderately developed Anshan, the paper says that wealthier cities across China should also actively follow suit to promote mass education in the country.

(Editor: Wang Wenwen)