The Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) has included the revision of the Regulations on Academic Degrees in its legislative agenda.

The NPC's Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee urged relevant departments to step up efforts to improve the draft revision based on study and consideration of opinions and suggestions made by NPC deputies and submit it to the NPC Standing Committee for review at an early date.

The motion for the revision, submitted to the fourth session of the 13th NPC last March, recognized the important role of the regulation in building China’s academic degree system and deemed it necessary to make changes in both its name and structure to stay in line with the reform and development of the education sector.

It is stated in the motion that content of rights protection should be added and colleges be authorized to formulate detailed implementation rules for degree conferment in accordance with the law. It also calls for the inclusion of political and moral performance standards for degree conferment.

The Ministry of Education has completed the draft for the proposed revision and presented it to the State Council. The Ministry of Justice is currently soliciting opinions from all sectors concerned to improve the draft and accelerating the process in accordance with legislative practices.