A new guideline has been introduced to prohibit city- and provincial-level high schools from luring outstanding principals and teachers away from county-level schools, a move designed to address the decline in education quality at county high schools.

The guideline also explicitly bans such high schools from recruiting top students from county-level schools.

With nearly 60 percent of high school students in China studying at county-level schools, the performance of these institutions is crucial to the development and future of more than 16.7 million students. However, in recent years, many high-achieving teachers and students have been drawn to better-equipped urban schools, leading to what has been described as the "collapse of county-level high schools".

The comprehensive plan, rolled out to revitalize ordinary high schools in county-level areas, aims to tackle existing irregularities and shortcomings while promoting high-quality educational development in less-developed regions.

Issued by the Ministry of Education and five other departments on Friday, the guideline outlines a systematic approach to strengthening county-level high school education. By 2030, the plan aims to improve the resource supply mechanism for ordinary high schools in line with the growing school-age population and to optimize the distribution of schools.

It also seeks to enhance coordination between urban and rural education, narrow the development gap among high schools within the same city and establish a pattern of quality, distinctive and diversified development.

The plan emphasizes correcting the tendency among high schools to focus solely on university enrollment rates and calls for deepening evaluation reform.

Additionally, provincial-level authorities are required to specify daily schedules and vacation periods for high school students, including winter and summer breaks. Schools are prohibited from organizing make-up classes or assessments on weekends, holidays or during vacations.

Moreover, efforts will be made to address shortcomings in infrastructure at county-level high schools, with a focus on classrooms, laboratories, libraries, sports grounds and student dormitories.

Authorities will promptly fill vacancies in understaffed subjects, and outstanding teachers from urban high schools will be encouraged to teach at county schools, the guideline said.

Greater support will be provided in professional title evaluation, appointment and compensation at county high schools to cultivate a group of leading teachers.

Support will also be given to county-level high schools in building smart classrooms, making full use of national and provincial smart education platforms, and encouraging urban high schools to share high-quality digital education resources with county schools. Teachers' digital literacy will be enhanced to support these upgrades, it added.

During a recent news conference, Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng said revitalizing county-level high schools is a key priority in building a fair and high-quality basic education system. They play a crucial role in strengthening education, advancing rural vitalization, promoting new urbanization and supporting high-quality population development, he said.

"The quality of county high schools directly affects the growth and future of tens of thousands of students, particularly those from rural areas. Therefore, revitalizing these schools is not an option — it is a necessity. It is a matter of fundamental fairness and warmth in education," Huai said.

Through the thorough implementation of the national guideline, authorities aim to make continuous efforts to strengthen and improve these schools, significantly narrow the development gap between urban and rural ordinary high schools, and enable rural students to access high-quality educational resources close to home, he said.