China News Service, Beijing, March 8 (Shao Meng) Providing education for the young and providing for the elderly has always been a hot issue in people's livelihood.
When the aging of the population and the low birthrate overlap, "one old and one young" has become a global problem faced by many countries. This year's National Two Sessions, this problem has been the focus of many representatives.
In response to the "silver hair wave", elderly care services have become an important part of protecting and improving people's livelihood.
This year’s government work report proposed “strengthening the construction of urban and rural community elderly care service networks” and “strengthening the supply of elderly products and services.”
Data map: Elderly people are dining in an elderly canteen.
Photo by China News Network reporter Wang Dongming
"An old man in his 80s told me that due to his old age and lack of physical strength, small things like buying food and cooking have become a daily worry for him and his wife. Since the community has a canteen for the elderly, not only Being able to eat delicious meals and have more time to participate in community activities makes the couple feel very happy and satisfied now."
In the "Member Channel", Deng Lin, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and deputy director of the Chongqing Civil Affairs Bureau, shared such a story.
This story is a microcosm of the community's efforts to strengthen elderly care services.
Deng Lin said that the community is the cornerstone of national governance, and services at doorsteps are directly related to the happiness and well-being of the people.
In addition to the supply of elderly care services, pension insurance benefits are related to the life security of the elderly.
Lian Yuming, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and founding president of the Beijing International Urban Development Research Institute, suggested in the proposal that a nationwide increase in farmers' pensions should be initiated, with each person increasing by at least 100 yuan per month on the current basis.
Accelerate the construction of the rural elderly care service system in response to population aging and rural revitalization, and solve the elderly care problems for the elderly, those who live alone, and those who are left behind.
In addition, this year’s government work report also made a series of deployments such as vigorously developing the silver economy and promoting the establishment of a long-term care insurance system, taking a solid step forward in providing “the elderly with care and support”.
"Providing support for the elderly" is about solving current problems, while "providing education for the young" is more relevant in the long term.
Data map: Inside a daycare institution in Hangzhou.
Photo by Zhang Yuhuan
In response to the issue of raising infants and young children, Xia Jie, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and former vice chairman of the All-China Women's Federation, listed a series of figures at the second plenary session of the second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference held on the 7th: According to relevant statistical surveys in 2022, There are currently about 32 million infants and young children in our country, and more than one-third of the families need childcare, but the childcare rate is only about 6%; the number of childcare centers per 1,000 people nationwide is 2.57, and by 2025, the number of childcare centers per 1,000 people will be 4.5 There is still a big gap between the two goals.
She suggested that the supply of public childcare service institutions should be increased and social forces should be encouraged to participate in the construction of universal childcare services so that the majority of families with infants and young children can enjoy care services that are “affordable, accessible, and good.”
While expanding the supply of childcare services, some representatives also suggested optimizing the maternity leave system to reduce the burden of childbearing, childcare, and education on families.
For example, Peng Jing, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, suggested encouraging qualified regions to explore the launch of "parental leave" pilots and gradually institutionalize it on the basis of accelerated advancement, providing one day per month for parents raising children under 3 years old. Paid parental leave, and two days of unpaid family care leave per quarter.
In response to childcare problems, this year's government work report also provides solutions to the problem, including improving maternity support policies, optimizing the maternity leave system, improving the reasonable labor cost sharing mechanism for business entities, increasing the supply of childcare services through multiple channels, etc.
Providing support for the elderly and education for the young is related to people's livelihood and well-being.
In recent years, China has implemented a national strategy to actively respond to population aging, which not only involves systematic measures to care for the "one elder", but also provides institutional support to support the "small one", providing more elderly people with a happy old age and allowing more children to live happily. Towards a promising future.
(over)