Education Is the Foundation of Building a Great Country and Achieving National Rejuvenation
The National Conference on Education was held in Beijing from 9th to 10th September 2024. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the conference and delivered an important speech. Xi profoundly pointed out that education is the foundation of building a great country and achieving national rejuvenation and issued the call of “making solid progress toward building China into a leading country in education”. Xi’s important speech, with its far-reaching vision, profound thinking and rich connotations, is a programmatic document guiding education work in the new era on the new journey, charting the way forward and providing fundamental guidelines for building a leading country in education.
Since the founding of New China 75 years ago, China’s education cause has made remarkable achievements with firm steps. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China’s education has achieved historic achievements and structural changes during the reform and development process. China, as a large education-oriented country, is striding towards becoming a leading country in education, providing strong support for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. China's education modernisation is full of vitality, and the construction of a strong education nation shows more distinct Chinese characteristics. The path of developing education of socialism with Chinese characteristics is getting broader.
Education is the foundation of building a strong nation and achieving national rejuvenation. Xi’s statements regarding the strategic position of education deeply reflect his high attention to the education cause as well as his deep insight and accurate grasp of the laws of building a great nation. This represents not only a weighty trust and expectation but also a glorious mission and responsibility. To comprehensively, accurately, and thoroughly study, publicise, and implement the guiding principles of the conference, and understand the essence and core meaning of Xi Jinping's important speech, we must firmly grasp the political, people-oriented, and strategic attributes of education and unswervingly follow the path of education of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Firmly grasp the political attribute of education and unswervingly cultivate generations of capable young people with sound moral grounding, intellectual ability, physical vigor, aesthetic sensibility and work skills, who are builders of socialism and will carry forward the socialist cause. The fundamental issues education must address are what kind of talent we should cultivate, how and for whom, which are also core issues of building a leading country in education. Cultivate generations of capable young people who are able to shoulder important tasks in the process of socialist modernisation, so as to ensure that they are successors to the cause of the Party and of building a great modern socialist country. Firmly grasping the political attribute of education requires us to persevere in using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to educate people and cultivate soul, and to forge key courses for implementing the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education. We should educate and guide young students to strengthen their belief in Marxism, their conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics and their confidence in realising national rejuvenation. Young students should be guided to stay devoted to contributing to the country and strengthening the country . They should be guided to strive courageously with a greater sense of responsibility.
Firmly grasp the people-oriented attribute of education and let the results of education reform and development benefit all people more fairly and widely. Education is the fundamental way for human beings to inherit civilisation and knowledge, cultivate the younger generation and create a better life. Adhering to people-centred education development is a vivid manifestation in the field of education of our Party's fundamental stance of putting the people first and the basic concept of governing for the people. Firmly grasping the people-oriented attribute of education requires us to focus on the new requirements and expectations of the people for better education, seize the issues of the people’s most concerned, direct, and practical interests, accelerate the construction of a high-quality education system, optimise the allocation of regional education resources, promote the high-quality and balanced development of compulsory education, deeply implement the national education digitalisation strategy, build a learning society and country where lifelong learning is pursued by all, continuously improve the inclusiveness, accessibility, and convenience of public education services, and solve the people's “urgent, difficult, worrying and longing” problems.
Firmly grasp the strategic attribute of education and strive to write a brand-new chapter in which the construction of a strong education nation supports and leads Chinese-style modernisation. In the present era, science and technology are the primary productive forces, talent is the primary resource, and innovation is the primary driving force. Education is the foundation for the emergence of talent and the precursor to the development of science and technology. Firmly grasping the strategic attribute of education requires us to comprehensively implement the strategies of rejuvenating the country through science and education, strengthening the nation through human resource development and driving development through innovation, and promote education development, scientific and technological innovation, and talent cultivation in an integrated manner. Guided by the development of science and technology and national strategic needs, with a view to improving the innovation ability, we should improve the scientific and technological innovation systems and mechanisms in colleges and universities, strengthen the construction of basic disciplines, emerging disciplines, and interdisciplinary disciplines as well as the cultivation of top-notch talent, continuously cultivate and transport all kinds of high-quality talent, create more original scientific and technological achievements, contribute to high-level self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology, and better play the strategic precursor role of supporting and leading Chinese-style modernisation.
Building a leading country in education has been a long-cherished aspiration of the Chinese nation since the advent of modern times. Now, there are only 11 years left until the goal of building a strong education nation by 2035. Time is tight, tasks are arduous, and the mission is glorious and significant. We should effectively strengthen the sense of responsibility, mission, and urgency in comprehensively promoting the construction of a leading country in education. Focus on the major arrangements of the conference, plan and put forward a series of major tasks, major projects, major reforms, and major guarantees, optimise the promotion mechanism, and make solid progress toward this set goal of building China into a leading country in education. Strive to write a brand-new chapter in the construction of a leading country in education, and make greater contributions to Chinese-style modernisation with the new achievements in the development of a nation with a strong education system.
Source: China Education Daily 12 September 2024