中国教育发展面临资金短缺 Education facing funding shortfall

《中国经济周刊》报道，今年国家教育经费支出占国内生产总值(GDP)的比例仍然未到4%。而早在1993年制定的《中国教育改革和发展纲要》就曾明确提出，“国家财政性教育经费支出占国民生产总值的比例，在本世纪末达到4%。”从2000年到2009年10年间，以4%的比例为标准，国家教育经费支出10年已累计"欠账"16843亿元。而在2010年中共中央、国务院再次确定2012年实现4%这一目标。

官员升迁“车随人走”

《新京报》报道，全国政协委员李宏透露，省部级官员配车，使用年限从5年一换变为8年一换，省部级官员提升职务后，也不能换车，调动后车跟人走。

芭比娃娃告别上海

据上海官方英文报纸《上海日报》记载，风靡世界的芭比娃娃全球首家旗舰店昨日在上海关门歇业，距传奇玩偶芭比的52岁生日仅有两天之遥。2年前的2009年3月6日，芭比娃娃所属的美泰公司在申城繁华的淮海中路开设店面，并希望上海的经验不久可以复制到中国其他地区。尽管芭比娃娃和美泰公司的其他产品在大洋彼岸销量迅猛，但芭比娃娃旗舰店却从未成为申城姑娘的最爱。

Education facing funding shortfall

Government expenditure on education will again fall short of 4 percent of GDP this year, the China Economic Weekly reports. This is despite a commitment made as early as 1993 in the Education Reform and Development Outline to raise education spending above the 4 percent threshold by the end of the century. Taking that as a starting point, in the decade from 2000 to 2009, the government accumulated a "debt" to education of 1684.3 billion yuan. In 2010, the Party Central Committee and State Council set yet another deadline for meeting the 4 percent target – 2012.

Officials to wait longer for new cars

Ministerial and provincial officials will have to keep their government-issued cars for eight years instead of five, according to Li Hong, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Beijing News reports. Even if officials are promoted they will be required to keep their current vehicles.

Barbie leaving Shanghai

Barbie Shanghai, the world's first flagship store for the world's most famous doll, closed its doors yesterday, just two days before the iconic toy's 52nd birthday, the Shanghai Daily reports. Parent company Mattel opened the store just two years ago, on Mar. 6, 2009, on Shanghai's bustling Huaihai Road. Mattel hoped to reach customers across China, but although sales of Barbie and other Mattel dolls have shown strong growth in the United States, the Shanghai store never became a popular attraction for girls.

(China.org.cn March 9, 2011)