As for your comment about the princes of the Royal Affairs Office abusing their power and breaking the rules I set, then I have nothing to say. After all, this country doesn't belong to me alone. All the royal family members of Wei State actually have the right to inherit the throne. If they can't bear to see their country decline, then why should I forcefully intervene? Anyway, I want to return to Blue Star. If the royal family of Wei State doesn't cherish this country, then I can only let them do whatever they want.
After hearing this, the officials in the court felt more at ease. After all, with a supervisory body, the national examination process would be more transparent, and the officials selected would be more fair. After all, the royal family was personally supervising and coordinating. If any official dared to abuse his power for personal gain, he would probably really want to die.
At this time, an official from the Ministry of Revenue asked, "Your Majesty, if every town you mentioned were to open a primary school, the amount of money the Ministry of Revenue would have to spend would be enormous, and it's likely that the national treasury would struggle to support it. I beg your Majesty to understand this."
After all, Wei State had such a vast territory that it would cost a huge amount of money to popularize education. Even if Wei State could now produce cheap rice paper, the cost of setting up schools in every town would still be an astronomical figure.
Especially now, many towns in Wei lack private schools, even for the aristocratic families. If Your Majesty were to implement it, not only would it require a huge amount of funds to build schools, but it would also require hiring a large number of teachers. The cost of training qualified teachers might be too much for the national treasury to bear. The Ministry of Revenue officials' concerns were not unfounded. After all, the popularization of education requires a large amount of capital investment, and it is also a long-term project.
Chu Fan smiled slightly, as if anticipating such a question from a minister. He began, "Of course I know that universal education requires a large amount of money, but I also have a solution. I intend to start from two aspects: first, to encourage private capital investment in education, and second, to support the development of education through preferential tax policies."
"For those aristocratic families or businessmen willing to invest in education, I will provide them with certain policy support, such as tax exemptions or priority in certain business activities. This way, they will not only gain a good social reputation, but also benefit financially. I believe that many people will be willing to participate.
"As for preferential tax policies, I intend to grant certain tax breaks to regions or industries that actively support educational development. For example, businesses willing to donate funds or materials to schools, as well as individuals or groups that have made significant contributions to education, can all enjoy tax incentives.
"Of course, these policies must be implemented under the strict supervision of the imperial court to ensure that every penny is spent effectively and truly promotes the development of education. At the same time, I will also instruct the Ministry of Revenue to strengthen the management of treasury funds to ensure their rational use and avoid waste and corruption."
In fact, Chu Fan's policy is an opportunity to transform the private schools of these aristocratic families into public schools. After all, if Wei's education is truly popularized as Chu Fan said, then these private schools of aristocratic families will no longer be able to monopolize educational resources.
By then, the number of children of ordinary people attending their private schools will gradually decrease. It would be better to convert them into public schools at this time, which would not only gain policy support but also enhance the family's reputation and gain the favor of His Majesty. In the long run, it would consolidate the family's influence in the education field in towns or counties.
Of course, some big families have a lot of younger generations in their own families, and there are also children of relatives through marriage. Their own private schools are already overcrowded, so they will definitely not be willing to convert their private schools into public schools.
However, Chu Fan would not make any mandatory requirements in such a situation. Instead, through policy guidance and weighing of interests, it would be enough to allow some small families to gradually transform their private schools into public schools. Chu Fan also had a backup means, which was that the first batch of silver from Japan would be transported to Wei soon after the silver mine was mined. At that time, both the national treasury and his own internal treasury would be greatly supplemented.
As for why Chu Fan did not popularize education in rural areas so that rural people could also benefit, it was because it had its limitations in the ancient context. There were not many people in Wei State or Shengwu Continent who could read and write. It was not easy to find teachers working in towns, let alone in rural areas.
Another point is what the Ministry of Revenue official just mentioned: achieving universal education will consume enormous financial resources. However, promoting universal education in rural areas cannot be solved by simply opening schools. Many ordinary people in Shengwu Continent can hardly afford to eat and wear clothes, let alone educate their children.
Many children become laborers in their families after a few years, helping to make ends meet. Forcing education on these children could actually increase the burden on these families. Chu Fan, fully aware of this, decided to start with urban areas, gradually raising the overall cultural level, and then consider rural areas when the time is right.
After all, people living in cities and towns now have relatively stable lives and good economic conditions. They will not let their children drop out of school for the sake of making a living. On the contrary, families with better conditions will let their children receive education so that they can pass the imperial examinations and bring honor to the family.
The official's frown gradually relaxed after hearing Chu Fan's words. He understood that since His Majesty was implementing such a national policy, there must be a way to solve these problems. Sure enough, the measures His Majesty had promulgated could not only solve the funding problem but also encourage more people to devote themselves to education. It was indeed a wise move.
The official from the Ministry of Revenue bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your guidance. I have no questions." After that, the official withdrew.
At this time, Liu Wenshan stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, if some students excel academically but cannot afford further education, does Your Majesty have a specific funding plan?"
At this time, Liu Wenshan was not speaking sarcastically, but he sincerely wanted to know the answer to this question. After all, if His Majesty popularized education, then those aristocratic families would obviously not continue to support those outstanding students, and they might lose the opportunity to continue their studies, which would be detrimental to the long-term development of the country.
After all, those aristocratic families previously sponsored outstanding students in the hope that they would serve them in the future after receiving their kindness. These outstanding students also made significant contributions to the strength of the Wei State. However, after Your Majesty universalized education, the aristocratic families were clearly not foolish enough to continue supporting these students, fearing that they might not serve them in the future.
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