Spread the net, colleges told

The top leadership asked colleges on Friday to enroll more students from central, western and rural parts of the country as part of education reform.

Chu Zhaohui, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences, said Friday's meeting showed that leaning toward underdeveloped regions has become a priority and principle.

But he called for more reforms to reduce the administrative power in enrollment to allow universities to have a bigger say.

Zhao Xinying and Xinhua