Chinese PresidentXi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of Central Military Commission, speaks at a two-day meeting on ideological and political work in China's universities and colleges, which wound up on Dec 8, 2016 in Beijing, capital of China. [Photo/Xinhua]

More high-quality textbooks on these subjects should be compiled and published, and a more scientific and transparent system of evaluating the academic outcomes in these fields should be established, he said.

Liu Wei, president of Renmin University of China, who attended the conference, said he was inspired by Xi's remarks about "nurturing talent for the cause of socialism".

"Setting moral examples for students and helping students develop their talent should be the top priority of colleges and universities, as well as teachers," he said.

"To do that, philosophy and social sciences, with deep thought and humanistic concerns, can play a key role. We should reform the teaching and curriculum in these subjects, making the courses more attractive, persuasive and appealing to students," Liu added.

Peng Long, president of Beijing Foreign Studies University, said he was particularly impressed by Xi's words about college teachers' role as guides and instructors for students.

"From President Xi's remarks, we know that college and university teachers are very crucial to students' growth. And for this reason, teachers must have both excellent academic abilities and noble characters," Peng said.