By tf-lawyer.com On September 9th and 10th, the National Education Conference took place in Beijing, featuring an important address by General Secretary Xi Jinping. In his speech, Xi emphasized that education is the foundation for national strength and the rejuvenation of the nation, calling for a solid advance towards the strategic goal of building a robust educational system. His profound and comprehensive remarks serve as a guiding document for educational work in this new era, illuminating the path forward in building a strong educational nation.
Over the past 75 years since the founding of New China, our education sector has made significant strides, achieving remarkable accomplishments recognized worldwide. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party, China’s education has experienced historic achievements and transformative changes, propelling the country forward from being an educational giant to an educational powerhouse, thereby providing strong support for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The modernization of education in our country is thriving, showcasing increasingly defined characteristics of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and broadening the path of education development.
Education is central to national strength and the rejuvenation of the nation. Xi Jinping’s emphasis on the strategic status of education reflects a deep understanding and insightful grasp of the significance of education in building a strong nation. This trust and expectation carry a sense of honor, responsibility, and mission. It is essential to comprehensively and accurately understand and promote the spirit of the conference and the core essence of Xi’s important speech, while firmly recognizing the political, people-centered, and strategic attributes of education, ensuring a steadfast commitment to the path of socialist education development with Chinese characteristics.
Focusing on the political attributes of education, we aim to nurture well-rounded socialist builders and successors. Questions of who we should educate, how we should educate, and for whom we should educate are fundamental issues of education and central themes in building a strong educational nation. Only by cultivating generations of talented individuals capable of significant contributions to socialist modernization can we ensure a continued legacy for the party’s cause and the construction of a modern socialist state. This requires a relentless commitment to instilling Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into the educational framework, effectively implementing the fundamental task of moral education, and guiding youth to steadfastly believe in Marxism, embrace the faith of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and aspire to contribute to the nation’s strength.
We must also emphasize the people-centered nature of education, ensuring that the benefits of educational reforms and developments are shared more equitably among all citizens. Education is the primary means of transmitting civilization and knowledge, nurturing the next generation, and creating a better life. A people-centered approach to education embodies the fundamental stance of our Party, prioritizing the well-being of the people in the educational sector. This entails addressing the community’s pressing desires for improved education, optimizing regional resource allocation, promoting high-quality balanced development in compulsory education, implementing a national digital education strategy, and constructing a lifelong learning society that enhances accessibility and convenience of educational services—ultimately catering to the urgent needs of the public.
Recognizing education’s strategic attributes is also crucial as we strive to foster a new era of education that supports China’s modernization. In today’s world, technology is the primary productive force, talent is the foremost resource, and innovation is the first motivation. Education forms the basis for talent emergence and technological advancement. This calls for a coordinated implementation of strategies centered on education, talent development, and innovation, advancing education, scientific innovation, and talent cultivation together. We should harness the momentum of technological development and national strategic needs, focusing on enhancing innovation capabilities, optimizing higher education’s innovation systems, nurturing foundational, emerging, and interdisciplinary disciplines, and continually developing a diverse pool of high-quality talent to produce original technological breakthroughs that underpin and guide China’s modernization.
The aspiration to build a strong educational nation has long been a cherished dream of the Chinese people. With only 11 years remaining until the goal of building a strong educational system by 2035, we face a pressing timeline, significant responsibilities, and a profound mission. It is imperative to strengthen our sense of responsibility, mission, and urgency in advancing the construction of a strong educational nation. We should focus on the critical directives outlined at the conference, plan a series of significant tasks, projects, reforms, and guarantees, optimize implementation mechanisms, and make steady progress toward the established educational goals, ultimately contributing to China’s modernization through the construction of a strong educational nation.
