VICTORIOUS RETURN: Members of the eighth contingent of Chinese riot police in Haiti descend from a plane in Beijing on May 4. The 126 police officers successfully carried out their assignments as UN peacekeepers in Haiti (HE JUNCHANG)

Campus Security

China's central and local governments have shifted to high gear in a campus security clampdown after a string of deadly attacks against students in schools and kindergartens.

The education authorities of many provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities held conferences on how to improve campus security after Zhou Yongkang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said campus security was a "major political task" on May 3.

Provincial governments ordered more police patrols near campuses, 24-hour identification checks at school gates and guards to be stationed in campuses.

China has recently witnessed a surge in school attacks. The worst occurred in Nanping City, Fujian Province, when a man killed eight elementary school children in March.

In the latest case, five kindergarten class children and a teacher were injured when a man attacked them with an iron hammer before killing himself at a school in Shandong Province.

Youth Day Letter

Chinese President Hu Jintao encouraged college students to help advance the country's modernization drive on the eve of Youth Day, on May 4, calling on them to "nourish lofty ambitions."

Replying to a letter from students and teachers of the China Agricultural University, Hu said he hoped they could nourish lofty ambitions and contribute to the country's endeavor to solve issues concerning agriculture, farmers and rural areas.

He said that these issues are on the top agenda of the central authorities, and the modernization of agriculture is a major task in the country's overall plan to achieve modernization.

Community Leaders

China plans to recruit 36,000 college graduates this year to be officials in rural areas in a bid to reduce unemployment and boost rural development by bringing talent to the grassroots level.

According to a notice issued by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee on April 29, from 2008 to 2012 the country will employ 200,000 students-turned village officials.

Currently, some 200,000 college graduates are working in the nation's vast rural regions as grassroots officials. The tenure for these graduates in the village is usually two or three years. After that, they may choose to continue to work as village officials, apply to become civil servants, pursue further study or find another job.

Bilingual Officials

Candidates for government jobs in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region must be able to communicate in both mandarin and the local language, regional authorities stated on April 30.

From 2010, all candidates for government jobs must be bilingual, according to a recently adopted regulation, said Kang Tingfeng, a spokesman for Xinjiang's human resources department.

The regulation will enable officials to better serve the people and promote exchange between people of different ethnic groups, he said.

Ethnic Han candidates must be capable of speaking with ethnic minorities in their own language. Similarly, ethnic minority candidates must be able to read and write simple mandarin.