The Ministry of Education announced on February 18 that it would step up supervision over the country's primary and middle schools in a bid to enhance education quality and fairness.

The move is aimed at tackling the imbalance of educational resources at the local level and reducing students' workloads, according to a document the ministry posted on its website.

Despite continuous efforts to provide quality education to all, a remarkable educational imbalance has emerged among schools and between urban and rural areas, often forcing parents to pay extra, sometimes illicit, fees to get their children into better schools.

An evaluation system will be established for local governments in order to direct them to prioritize the education sector and improve the quality of public education, according to the ministry.