Coordination and Alignment: On the Relationship between the Newly Revised Vocational Education Law and the Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Modern Vocational Education System Construction

Abstract

The vitality of law lies in its implementation. The implementation of the newly revised Vocational Education Law requires the support and alignment of a series of policies and regulations, among which the Opinions on Deepening the Reform of Modern Vocational Education System Construction is one. The Opinions has three legal attributes: mixed Party regulations, high-level administrative regulatory documents, and the propositions of the CPC. This means that the Opinions is more likely to be effective, more conducive to the realization of reform goals in the field of vocational education, and also implies that its coordination and alignment with the newly revised Vocational Education Law need to be more precise and appropriate. The basic approach for such coordination and alignment is to be consistent with the fundamental principles and spirits of the newly revised Vocational Education Law vertically, and pay attention to the boundaries and alignment with other legal norm groups related to vocational education horizontally. The essential contents of the alignment and coordination between the Opinions and the newly revised Vocational Education Law should include: enhancing the key school-running capacity of vocational schools, taking the vocational education college entrance examination as a breakthrough to improve the enrollment system with vocational education characteristics, integrating talent cultivation standards into the construction of the vocational education system, delegating core administrative powers, significantly strengthening the management authority of provincial governments over vocational education, and clarifying the micro-level administrative powers of municipal and county governments.