Promoting the Integrated Development of Education, Science and Technology, and Talent

At the National Conference on Education, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasised the need to coordinate the implementation of the strategy for invigorating China through science and education, the workforce development strategy and the innovation-driven development strategy. Education development, scientific and technological innovation and talent cultivation should be promoted as an integrated effort.

Education, science and technology, and talent are fundamental and strategic support for pursuing a Chinese path to modernisation. At the National Conference on Education, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasised the need to coordinate the implementation of the strategy for invigorating China through science and education, the workforce development strategy and the innovation-driven development strategy. Education development, scientific and technological innovation and talent cultivation should be promoted as an integrated effort. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech provides us with scientific guidance to fully recognise the vital role of education in the national strategy, steadily advance the key tasks of building a strong education system, strengthen the coordinated layout of education and science and technology, and systematically promote the development of a leading country in education, science and technology, and talent.

It’s imperative to focus on enhancing innovation capacity, deepening the integration between science and education, and between science and education, and strengthening the cultivation of a contingent of personnel with expertise of strategic importance and first-class innovators in major scientific technological research to achieve breakthroughs. Science and technology are the primary productive force, talent is the primary resource, and innovation is the primary driver of growth. Universities, as key forces in scientific and technological innovation and sources of major scientific and technological breakthroughs, are essential components of the national strategic scientific and technological strength and the national innovation system. Facing the law of global scientific and technological innovation and transformation, and China’s needs for scientific and technological innovation, it is necessary to further improve the mechanism for innovation in universities, leverage the advantages of the new system for mobilising resources nationwide to make key technological breakthroughs, focus on national strategies and the global frontiers of science and technology, and take major tasks as the “engine”  for integrating science and education. This will drive universities to form large research teams and carry out interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaborative research, continuously producing original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation results. The essence of innovation lies in talent. Innovation-driven development is, at its core, talent-driven. We must comprehensively improve the quality of independent talent cultivation, focus on nurturing first-class innovators, step up efforts to build a contingent of personnel with expertise of strategic importance, and maintain a firm grasp on the independence of science and technology and the initiative for development.

It’s imperative to optimise the layout of higher education, improve the mechanisms for adjusting academic disciplines and talent cultivation models. More emphasis should be placed on basic, emerging, and interdisciplinary subjects, as well as the cultivation of top-notch talent. Education that fosters creativity nurtures creative talent, and creative talent builds an innovative country. We will advance reforms of higher education institutions on a categorised basis, clarifying the development positioning of different types of higher education institutions. We must establish category-based management and evaluation mechanisms, and guide various universities to leverage their strengths in different fields and tracks to pursue excellence and develop distinct characteristics to better meet the need of social development for diverse and multi-level talent. Disciplinary majors are the core pillars of the higher education system and the foundational platform for talent cultivation. We must focus on serving the new development paradigm and high-quality growth, continually optimise the configuration of disciplinary majors, and establish a mechanism for adjusting disciplines and the talent cultivation models that is driven by technological development and national strategic needs. We must strengthen the development of basic, emerging, and interdisciplinary subjects, enhance the systems for student internship and practical training, and intensify coordination between science and technology education and humanities education, making solid progress in upgrading the level and quality of independent cultivation of talent.

It’s imperative to strengthen research cooperation between schools and enterprises to enable quicker transformation of sci-tech achievements into productive forces. Only when scientific and technological achievements are aligned with national needs, public demands, and market requirements, and achieve the three-stage leap from scientific research to experimental development and then to widespread application can their innovative value and innovation-driven development be realised. Universities should precisely focus on key fields, key industries, and major projects that contribute to new quality productive forces, and develop more advanced and core technologies that lead the advancement of new quality productive forces. It’s essential to deepen cooperation between schools and industries to achieve an organic integration of the scientific research process, research organisation methods and education, as well as education models. This aims to foster a new pattern of development that features positive interplay and integrated development between scientific and technological innovation and talent cultivation. It’s important to enhance the transformation efficiency of scientific and technological results in universities, establish their regional technology transfer and transformation centres, accelerate the establishment of advanced research institutes, and promote the enthusiastic two-way collaboration between universities and enterprises. This will facilitate the high-level creation and high-efficiency transformation of university research results, giving consistent support for the development of new quality productive forces.

It’s imperative to establish the education system that promotes integration between vocational and general education, between industry and education, and make efforts to cultivate high-caliber craftsmen and skilled talent. Master craftsmen are the cornerstone and pillars of the “edifice” of the Chinese nation. Vocational education is a critical support force for achieving new industrialisation and Chinese modernisation, serving as the main platform for continuously cultivating a workforce of skilled talent sufficient in quantity, rational in structure, and excellent in quality. It is necessary to deepen the reform of the “one body, two wings” modern vocational education system and establish a vocational education system that integrates vocational and general education, as well as industry and education. This will align vocational education with regional development and industrial layout. By broadening the pathways for students' growth through the integration between vocational and general education, we can continuously enhance the adaptability and attractiveness of vocational education, ultimately improving both the quality of talent cultivation and economic and social development.

Directed by the guiding principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, we will anchor the goal of becoming a leading country in education by 2035, pool all wisdom and strength and forge ahead with determination to deepen the comprehensive reform of education on the new journey ahead. These efforts will facilitate the positive cycle of education, science and technology, and talent, providing strong support for promoting the construction of a great country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese modernisation.

Source: China Education Daily, 16 September 2024