In a biology class at Hangzhou No. 2 High School, young teachers from Jingning Middle School take notes diligently. [Photo/Hangzhou Daily Group]

In March 2023, an action plan that sought to raise the education quality of county middle schools was included in Zhejiang's long-term campaign to improve people's lives in the province.

The plan put 58 middle schools and high-quality ordinary high schools in the province, including those in 26 counties in mountainous areas and island counties, in one-on-one partnerships.

The Jingning Middle School in Jingning She autonomous county of Lishui city and the Hangzhou No. 2 High School in Hangzhou, the capital city, are two of the schools, pairing with each other.

In addition to on-site training by distinguished teachers, Hangzhou No. 2 High School also sent teachers to offer their services at Jingning Middle School.

Since the implementation of the plan, Jingning Middle School not only saw the number of its students admitted to C9 universities — nine of the top universities in China — double last year but also achieved breakthroughs in provincial competitions such as chemistry and informatics.

Huang Xiongwei, a senior teacher and gold medal coach in international biology competitions at Hangzhou No. 2 High School, said, "After cooperating with Jingning Middle School, we focused on helping them cultivate innovative talent. We aim to have over 15 students admitted to Zhejiang University after the 2024 college entrance examination."

According to the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education, the partnership initiative operates in three-year cycles, with an additional 50 middle schools expected to join in 2024.