Former premier Zhu Rongji made a rare public appearance yesterday, delivering a scathing criticism of the mainland's education system and other policies during a visit to his alma mater, Tsinghua University.
Zhu (pictured) lashed out at the much-criticised reform of tertiary education and urged mainland officials and scholars to speak the truth.
He said a newly published directive on trial reforms of the education system was 'full of empty talk and nonsense', according to excerpts of his remarks posted on the popular microblog platform Sina Weibo.
The 82-year-old made the unusually harsh comments two days ahead of the prestigious university celebrating its centenary. Zhu, who studied at Tsinghua more than six decades ago, was the founding dean of the university's school of economics and management, established in 1984, and resigned from the post in 2001.
While students and internet critics of the education system expressed admiration for his candid remarks, witnesses said accompanying education officials, including State Councillor Liu Yandong and Education Minister Yuan Guiren, appeared to be embarrassed.
Zhu also appeared to be critical of the expansion of university and college enrolment, which his administration began in the late 1990s.