The "Outline of the Plan for Building a Strong Education Country (2024-2035)" clearly proposes to "promote the reform and development of universities by classification", and the "Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" approved at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposes to "optimize the layout of universities and promote reform by classification". The 2026 government work report also clearly proposes to "promote the reform of universities by classification". This series of top-level designs indicates that promoting the reform and development of universities through classification has entered the core agenda of building a strong education country and has become a firm action plan. How to bid farewell to the 'one size fits all' policy and encourage universities to pursue excellence in their respective fields? The representatives and committee members actively provided suggestions and recommendations. Why classify and promote the reform and development of universities based on their development positioning and functional roles? In the view of Zhang Zhengwen, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and President of the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the classification reform is an inevitable choice to get rid of the homogenization dilemma and promote the transformation of higher education from scale expansion to connotation improvement. Only by clarifying the differentiated talent cultivation positioning of different types of universities, allowing each type of university to establish its own position and showcase its strengths, can we solidify the foundation of a strong education country and provide source supply and talent guarantee for high-level technological self-reliance and self-improvement. Research oriented universities cultivate top-notch innovative talents and strategic scientists, applied universities transport high-quality engineers, and skill oriented universities cultivate high-level technical and skilled talents. Only by focusing on advantages and breakthrough directions, and coordinating organically, can a complete talent echelon be formed. ”Zhang Zhengwen said. In recent years, the successive issuance of the "Opinions on the Establishment of Higher Education Institutions during the 14th Five Year Plan Period" and the "Reform Plan for Adjusting and Optimizing the Setting of Disciplines and Majors in General Higher Education" has provided institutional guarantees for the classified development of universities. In practical applications, some places have already taken the lead in solving problems. Shandong Province implements the "one school, one policy" development model, guiding universities to focus on regional industrial needs and refine their educational characteristics. Guangdong Province relies on the industrial advantages of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area to promote the joint construction of modern industrial colleges by universities and leading enterprises, forming a classified development pattern of deep coupling between education and industry. Clarifying the positioning of education is the cornerstone of the classified development of universities. Wang Xiaofan, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and President of Shanghai University of Applied Sciences, believes that some universities currently have vague positioning and blindly climb higher, leading to resource waste and weakened characteristics. Classification reform is to guide universities to base themselves on their own accumulation and find the right development track. On the basis of basic educational positioning such as research-oriented, application-oriented, and skill oriented, universities should further clarify their focus in fields such as science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, humanities and social sciences, arts and sports, and systematically analyze whether the disciplines and majors they offer match the needs of national and local industries. ”Wang Xiaofan said. Wang Xiaofan introduced that last year, under the deployment and guidance of Shanghai, Shanghai municipal universities highlighted demand orientation and industry orientation, and clarified the educational positioning of each university. The Shanghai University of Applied Sciences, where I am located, has made it clear that it aims to connect and serve Shanghai's beautiful and healthy, intelligent manufacturing, and advanced materials industries, adhering to the characteristic positioning of application-oriented and technological innovation, "said Wang Xiaofan. Facing the difficulties faced by application-oriented universities, almost all resource flows are guided by evaluation. The reform of the evaluation system is a key pivot to drive the classification reform and connotation development of universities. In the interview, several representatives and committee members mentioned that the evaluation dilemma faced by applied universities should be given sufficient attention. At present, the number of applied universities in China, the number of students enrolled, and the scale of employment are considerable. Clear policy orientation means guiding applied universities to focus on conducting applied basic research, technological innovation, and technology transformation, making them the main force serving regional development and an important base for applied innovation talents. Liang Hao, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and dean of Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, admitted that his school is the only petrochemical characteristic university in southern China, with the mission of serving the second pillar industry of Guangdong Province and cultivating applied talents. However, in the current evaluation system, it faces the problem of using academic research standards to measure applied education. For local applied universities, more emphasis should be placed on evaluating their contributions in cultivating applied talents, integrating industry and education, and serving local industries. ”Liang Hao said. The deviation of evaluation orientation has fueled the convergence impulse of universities. If the same ruler is used to evaluate, it often leads to some application-oriented universities pursuing 'large and comprehensive' and 'research-oriented' resources in order to survive and develop, gradually deviating from the original intention of application-oriented positioning and classified development, "said Wang Xiaofan. Wang Xiaofan also mentioned the "sandwich layer" dilemma faced by applied universities. Applied universities are positioned between research-oriented universities and skill oriented universities, making it difficult to effectively combine applied innovation research with applied talent cultivation. Their innovation level is not as high as that of research-oriented universities, and talent cultivation is not as down-to-earth as that of skill oriented universities. There are gaps and shortages in policy support and resource investment. In response, Zhang Zutao, a National People's Congress representative and Vice President of Chengdu Institute of Technology, suggested that the national level should launch a special construction project for high-level applied universities as soon as possible, establish a classification and classification construction mechanism, and implement a dual track system of "national level applied demonstration universities" and "regional characteristic applied universities". Currently, some provinces have conducted beneficial explorations. Jiangsu Province continues to promote the reform of application-oriented university evaluation, improve the classification evaluation mechanism, and include enterprise secondment experience, technology patent conversion, industry standard formulation, and other core indicators in the evaluation of university teacher titles, strengthening the application-oriented orientation. The 2026 National Education Work Conference will prioritize the classified promotion of university reform, which has filled the delegates with anticipation. During the interview, representatives of the committee stated that the classification positioning should be translated into specific supporting policies such as school conditions, enrollment plans, degree authorization, and funding investment, and closely linked with the classification evaluation results, in order to meet the development needs of various universities. The key to classification reform is to ensure that all types of universities have their own positions and strengths. If the allocation of resources is disconnected from their positioning, it will lead to blind climbing and homogeneous development of universities, which goes against the original intention of classification reform. ”Zhang Zhengwen suggests further cracking the Matthew effect of resource allocation, so that universities with different positioning can receive support that matches their own development needs. Lu Jianjun, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Secretary of the Party Committee of Xi'an Jiaotong University, suggested adhering to the principle of "differentiated development and characteristic development", supporting universities in the central and western regions to build characteristic disciplines and advantageous majors based on local economic and resource endowments, and avoiding homogeneous competition. Optimize the layout of "Double First Class" universities, increase support for the central and western regions, and promote the construction of a number of key disciplines that serve regional development. Zhang Zutao suggested increasing support for the application-oriented transformation of local universities, promoting cooperation and exchange between local universities and provincial and ministerial joint universities, building a pattern of complementary advantages and coordinated development, promoting balanced development of regional education, comprehensively enhancing its ability to serve national strategies and regional industrial upgrading, and assisting in the optimization of higher education structure and high-quality development. The reform of university classification is not only a structural adjustment within the education system, but also involves changes in social attitudes. Zhang Zhengwen suggests further establishing and practicing the concept of diversified development, evaluation, and talent development in the whole society, guiding the public to rationally view the social contributions and values of different types of universities. Zhang Zhengwen said, "We need to eliminate cognitive biases and enable graduates from different types of universities to receive the respect and rewards they deserve in their career development, forming a social consensus of 'top performers come from every profession'. (New Society)