Han Qingsong: Independently Cultivating High-Level Talent to Bolster the Development of New Quality Productive Forces
The cultivation and development of a vast contingent of high-level talent possessing both moral integrity and professional competence is an urgent necessity for the development of the Party and national undertakings. The Report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out that we must comprehensively improve the quality of independent talent cultivation, focus on creating top-tier innovative talent, and gather the world’s brightest minds to make use of them. The Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Advancing Chinese-path Modernization, adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, further emphasized "improving mechanisms for the independent cultivation of talent," "improving mechanisms for scientific and technological innovation in universities," and "focusing on strengthening the cultivation of innovation capabilities." Enhancing innovation capability is the primary objective and core content of the independent cultivation of high-level talent. The defining characteristic of new quality productive forces is innovation. The comprehensive improvement of the quality of independent high-level talent cultivation also contributes to the nurturing, formation, and development of new quality productive forces.
New quality productive forces and high-level talent are closely interrelated. New quality productive forces represent an advanced state of productive forces in which innovation plays the leading role; they are characterized by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality. These represent, respectively, the instrumental (starting point), effective (process-oriented), and consequential (end point) characteristics of new quality productive forces. High-level talent in the New Era is primarily manifested in three aspects: high educational attainment, high levels of proficiency, and high quality [1]. High educational attainment refers to receiving high-level education at the master’s degree level or above; high proficiency refers to a high level of academic theory along with strong scientific research innovation and practical operational capabilities; high quality refers to reaching a certain height in various aspects of development, including the moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor dimensions. The accelerated development of new quality productive forces is the ultimate goal and value pursuit of independent high-level talent cultivation, while high-level talent serves as the key force and primary support for promoting the development of new quality productive forces.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "In today's world, competition for talent is, first and foremost, competition for talent cultivation." We must follow the path of independent talent cultivation to improve our capacity for an independent and controllable supply of talent. Key core technologies are "state weapons" [2] that cannot be displayed to others; they cannot be asked for, begged for, or bought. To strive for independence and controllability over them, we must rely on the independent cultivation, supply, incentive, and utilization of high-level and high-tech talent, so as to firmly grasp the initiative in independent scientific and technological innovation and the development of new quality productive forces.
First, implement the principles and policies for the independent cultivation of high-level talent. Independent cultivation must adhere to the correct political direction and value orientation, implementing the "Four," "Three," and "Five" principles and policies of postgraduate education: namely, the "Four Serves" [3] educational policy, the "Three-Whole Education" [4] policy requirements, and the "Simultaneous Development of Five Educations" [5] guiding concept. Adhering to the "Four Serves"—serving the people, serving the Communist Party of China in governing the country, etc.—is the value objective and fundamental compliance for postgraduate cultivation in the New Era. Adhering to "Three-Whole Education" (all personnel, the whole process, and all dimensions) is the key to ensuring the quality of postgraduate cultivation. Adhering to the "Simultaneous Development of Five Educations" (morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor) is of great significance for implementing the strategy of strengthening the nation through talent.
Second, construct an independent knowledge system for high-level talent cultivation. The prerequisite for independent cultivation is the construction of a Chinese independent postgraduate education knowledge system, building the "Three Systems" of disciplines, academics, and discourse. 1) Optimize the disciplinary system. Accelerate the formation of a favorable situation characterized by the steady cultivation of basic disciplines, the focused cultivation of key disciplines, the inheritance and protection of "cold-gate" [6] or endangered studies, the encouraged research of interdisciplinary studies, and the innovative development of emerging disciplines. 2) Openly develop the academic system. Under the framework of our own disciplinary system, we must continuously create an independent academic system that serves national strategies, characterized by global vision, forward-looking perspectives, and distinct schools of thought, encompassing ideological theory, practical methods, curricula and textbooks, and academic evaluation. 3) Continue to pioneer the discourse system. Strive to construct a Chinese independent conceptual discourse system that is original, open, and leading, reflecting China's theoretical and practical innovations while integrating the ancient and modern, and China and the West.
Third, optimize and adjust the layout of discipline and professional settings. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to target the frontiers of science and technology and key fields, and to deeply promote the adjustment of disciplines and majors. The Report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC emphasized strengthening the construction of basic, emerging, and interdisciplinary subjects, and accelerating the development of world-class universities and advantageous disciplines with Chinese characteristics. 1) Pay special attention to and prioritize the development of basic disciplines such as mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, and earth sciences. 2) Provide key support for the rapid development of emerging disciplines such as big data, quantum information, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, and financial technology. 3) Actively explore the integrated development of interdisciplinary subjects such as biochemistry, digital arts, media culture, naval architecture and ocean engineering, and nanoscience and technology. 4) Fully support and oversee the development of advantageous disciplines such as cyberspace security, nuclear science and technology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese pharmacology, and astronomy.
Fourth, innovate the independent cultivation model for high-level scientific and technological talent. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that scientific and technological innovation can spawn new industries, new models, and new kinetic energy, and is the core element for developing new quality productive forces. Facing the demand for the independent cultivation of a vast number of high-level scientific and technological talents, current postgraduate cultivation models—especially for doctoral students—face prominent problems such as aging curricula and textbooks, outdated teaching cases, obsolete experimental facilities, theoretical studies decoupled from society, scientific research off-track from the times, and research results disconnected from production. These must be innovated and improved to truly achieve high-level scientific and technological innovation and self-reliance and self-strengthening. Universities, especially in science and engineering postgraduate education, should actively cooperate with technology enterprises, research institutes, and social organizations. Through establishing postgraduate workstations and hiring off-campus adjunct supervisors in enterprises and institutes, they can jointly cultivate students, focusing efforts on the integration of science and education, the combination of production and education, and the deep integration of industry, academia, and research. Universities can also base themselves on the innovation chain, improve the talent chain, coordinate the capital chain, and lay out the industrial chain, making full use of the advantages of the new-type whole-nation system [7] to drive the integration of these "Four Chains," achieving "multi-party win-win" results and a seamless connection between high-level talent cultivation and high-level scientific and technological innovation.
Fifth, build a high-level teaher-mentor contingent capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of independent high-level talent cultivation. As the saying goes, "famous teachers produce brilliant students." Only a high-level contingent of postgraduate supervisors (hereafter "supervisors") who possess both moral integrity and professional competence can independently cultivate high-level talent with excellence in both character and learning. 1) Use the construction of supervisors' "teacher ethics and style" (shide shifeng) as the fundamental point, emphasizing the fundamental task of "fostering virtue through education" (lide shuren). 2) Use the cultivation of supervisors' comprehensive capabilities as the key point, establishing a long-term mechanism for "meticulous talent cultivation." 3) Use the construction of healthy and harmonious supervisor-student relationships as the support point, building new types of harmonious relationships such as the "good teacher" and "helpful friend" models. 4) Use "improving quality, protecting rights, and reducing pressure" for supervisors as the footing, easing their life pressures and psychological burdens.
Sixth, explore the reform of the postgraduate education evaluation system for independent high-level talent cultivation. We must give full play to the role of education evaluation as a "conducting baton," explore value-added evaluation, and deepen the reform of education evaluation. 1) Innovate the theory of value-added evaluation in postgraduate education. As an innovative choice, the "multi-dimensional and high-precision" evaluation theory (hereafter the "Double-Degree" theory) evolved from traditional theories such as performance evaluation, 360-degree evaluation, and fourth-generation evaluation. It consists of "multi-dimensionality" and "high-precision," which are interrelated yet distinct, specifically referring to the multi-dimensional paths of "person," "time," and "space" in value-added evaluation, and the high-precision requirements of "autonomous development," "cultural foundation," and "social participation." 2) Transform the standards of value-added evaluation. We must resolutely eradicate the chronic malady of the "Five Onlys" evaluation standards—only scores, only enrollment, only diplomas, only papers, and only titles [8]—to reverse unscientific educational evaluation orientations. Therefore, postgraduate evaluation should "break the Five Onlys and establish new standards," actively exploring value-added evaluations that promote the comprehensive and sustainable development of postgraduates. 3) Explore paths for value-added evaluation. Design a "Double-Degree" model based on the aforementioned theory, utilizing big data, information technology, and other means to explore paths for value-added evaluation characterized by diversified evaluation subjects, comprehensive content, multi-dimensional standards, long-term processes, precise results, and diverse functions.
(The author is an Associate Researcher at the Institute of Higher Education, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, and a Special Researcher at the Jiangsu Provincial Center for the Study of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era) Source: Guangming Daily February 17, 2025 Web Editor: Huihui