2nd LD: China to reform rural teacher, public hospital, people's juror systems

China's central authorities on Wednesday rolled out plans to support rural teachers, to overhaul public hospitals and to improve people's juror system, in the latest effort to comprehensively deepen the reform.

The plans were adopted at the 11th meeting of the central leading group for deepening overall reform on Wednesday, during which President Xi Jinping called on authorities to "show courage and guts" in reform.

The meeting approved a plan to support rural teachers over the next five years and guidelines on reforming urban public hospitals.

The group members attending the meeting noted that education in remote and poor areas in the central and western regions is the weakest link in the modernization of education.

It is crucial that every child receives an equal education so as to stop poverty spreading to the next generation, according to a statement released after the meeting.

Means of increasing the number of good teachers in poor areas include improving teachers' political and moral awareness, increasing their income, and persuading urban teachers to work in rural schools.

Urging deeper reform in public hospitals in cities, the group members agreed that public hospitals should be operated for the public good, instead of seeking profits, and the service should be accessible, equal and beneficial for the people.

They believe better healthcare administration is needed, particularly in the area of medical insurance and medical workers' salaries.

The meeting also saw the adoption of a pilot plan on overhauling the people's juror system, under which supervisors are selected and employed by courts to help scrutinize judges' decisions.

The system, a vital part of socialist democracy, should be reformed in a bid to promote judicial democracy and fairness, the statement said, explaining that reform will focus on enhancing independence in jurors' selection and expanding their participation in trials.

Another judicial reform plan on courts' accepting and hearing cases was also endorsed by the group, which is headed by President Xi.

To address the public's long-existing difficulty in filing cases, the current censorship of accreditation by courts will be replaced by a case-filing register system.

Authorities vowed to put an end to courts dragging their feet in hearing cases and officials creating barriers to filing cases.

Any interference in courts' accepting and hearing cases will be harshly punished, said the statement. Endi