China plans to accelerate Internet construction

China will accelerate the Internet construction and ensure that over 45 percent of its population have access to the Internet by 2015, said the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2012-2015) released Monday.

By 2015, the Internet connection speed for urban households will reach 20 Mb/s, and that for rural households will be 4 Mb/s. The government will work to gradually spread Internet connections and usage throughout the rural areas, said the document issued by the Information Office of the State Council

Effective measures will be taken to accelerate the construction of public cultural facilities, promote the development of cultural undertakings, enrich the people's cultural life and guarantee the citizens' cultural rights, the document said.

Moreover, the government will improve public cultural facilities and cultural service networks.

China will increase and improve public cultural facilities like culture centers, museums, libraries, art galleries, science and technology museums, memorial halls, workers' centers, and youth and children's palaces, and open them to the public free of charge, the plan said.

The plan also pledged to promote the people's educational rights and raise the overall educational level of all Chinese citizens.

The government will work to consolidate the achievements in nine-year compulsory education.

The net enrollment rate in elementary schools will remain at above 99 percent, and the number of students graduating from compulsory education will reach 93 percent of the total enrollment.

Efforts will also be made in allocating educational resources in balanced manner, promoting pre-school education, developing vocational education, quickening steps in making senior high school education universal and boosting higher education, the plan said.

Moreover, China will improve the policy system of financial assistance to poor students.

China will improve the national allowance program for poor senior high school students and the dynamic adjustment mechanism of state scholarships to ensure that students do not drop out of school because of poverty, the plan said.