Zhang Wenying, director of the education and sports bureau of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture in Central China's Hunan province, has pledged to take solid steps to kick off a positive start for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), striving to create new prospects for the high-quality development of the education and sports sector in the prefecture.

Concrete steps include optimizing educational resources in line with demographic changes, stepping up universal preschool education, and promoting balanced development of compulsory education, Zhang said.

The prefecture is also set to increase capacity for high schools, enhance special and vocational education, support the development of the "Double First-Class Initiative" at Jishou University and advance the "Double High-Level Plan" at Xiangxi Vocational and Technical College for Nationalities, Zhang added.

The blueprint for educational enhancement includes formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for education and sports development. A key objective is to address foundational gaps, strengthen weak links and ensure each reform benefits the people.

Investment in infrastructure is poised to create 4,060 new public high school seats and improve school canteens. Collaboration with Changsha, the provincial capital, will boost teachers’ training and educational quality.

Emphasizing moral education, the prefecture will integrate ideological courses across all educational levels and promote physical and mental health through comprehensive curriculum reforms. A three-year reading initiative will be promoted to foster a reading culture in schools.

Efforts to strengthen the teaching workforce include enhanced training programs and initiatives to boost teachers' satisfaction and professional growth.

In sports, the prefecture plans to host major leagues and develop regional sports IPs, alongside preparing for the 15th Hunan Provincial Games.