CPC Ministry of Education Leading Party Group: Firmly Grasp the Political, People-Centered, and Strategic Attributes of Education to Accelerate the Building of a Leading Country in Education
Education is the foundation for national strengthening and national rejuvenation. During this year’s "Two Sessions" [1], while visiting members of the China Democratic League, the China Association for Promoting Democracy, and the education sector participating in the third session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized strengthening the role of education in supporting science, technology, and talent. He profoundly expounded on the pioneering and foundational supporting role of education in the New Era and on the new journey. He stressed that building a leading country in education, science and technology, and talent "must adhere to the correct direction of school operations" and "is the shared responsibility of the entire Party and the whole of society." Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has insisted on regarding education as a matter of great significance to the country and the Party, establishing the goal of building a leading country in education by 2035. From September 9 to 10, 2024, the National Education Conference was held in Beijing, making mobilizations and deployments to accelerate the construction of a leading country in education on the new journey of the New Era. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech at the conference highlighted the political, people-centered, and strategic attributes of education (hereinafter referred to as the "three attributes"). He emphasized that the leading country in education we aim to build is a socialist leading country in education with Chinese characteristics, which should possess powerful ideological and political leadership, talent competitiveness, scientific and technological support, livelihood security, social synergy, and international influence (hereinafter referred to as the "six major characteristics"). This scientifically answers the epochal proposition of "why to build a leading country in education, what kind of leading country in education to build, and how to build it," pointing out the forward direction and providing the fundamental compliance for building a leading country in education.
When education flourishes, the country flourishes; when education is strong, the country is strong. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the Outline for the Construction of a Leading Country in Education (2024–2035) (hereinafter referred to as the Outline), emphasizing the need to comprehensively grasp the "three attributes" of socialist education with Chinese characteristics, focus on the "six major characteristics" of a leading country in education, and comprehensively construct: a system of ideological and political education that consolidates the foundation and casts the soul [2]; a basic education system of fairness and high quality; an elite higher education system of self-reliance and excellence; a vocational education system integrating industry and education; a ubiquitous and accessible lifelong education system; a science and technology support system driven by innovation; a teacher workforce system of excellent quality; and an international cooperation system of openness and mutual learning (hereinafter referred to as the "eight major systems"). This constitutes a comprehensive and systematic deployment for accelerating the construction of a leading country in equation.
In the grand blueprint for building a leading country in education by 2035, the "three attributes" are the foundation. This theory of the nature of education has been consistent in General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on education since the 18th National Congress of the CPC. It follows the same lineage as Marxist educational thought and is rooted in the rich soil of the practice of educational reform and development in contemporary China. The political attribute of education highlights the directional requirements of education; the people-centered attribute highlights the value pursuit of education; and the strategic attribute highlights the functional performance of education. Among these three attributes, the political attribute is primary, the people-centered attribute is fundamental, and the strategic attribute is key. Although they have different emphases, they are not isolated from one another but are interconnected, mutually supportive, and internally unified. They need to be understood and grasped dialectically, comprehensively, and systematically, and coordinated effectively in practice.
Firmly Grasping the Political Attribute of Education and Implementing the Fundamental Task of Virtuous Character Building
"To establish a state and govern the people, teaching and learning must come first." [3] Education possesses the characteristics of the superstructure and has an inherent, inevitable connection with politics. As early as the Yan'an period, Comrade Mao Zedong proposed the school-running requirement of an "unswerving political direction" for the Reserving Army Military and Political University of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Resistance and the North Shaanxi Public School. At the 1978 National Education Work Conference, Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "Schools should always put a firm and correct political direction in the first place." Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to the political attribute of education, emphasizing: "From the perspective of history and reality, the fundamental way for any country or society to maintain political rule and social stability is invariably through education."
Whom to cultivate, how to cultivate them, and for whom to cultivate them are the fundamental questions of education, the prominent manifestation of the political attribute of education, and the core subject in building a leading country in education. Our country is a socialist country led by the Communist Party of China, which determines that our education must take the cultivation of socialist builders and successors as its fundamental task, cultivating generation after generation of useful talents who support the leadership of the Communist Party of China and our country’s socialist system and are determined to struggle for life for socialism with Chinese characteristics. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "No other undertaking affects or even determines the issue of successors, affects or even determines the long-term stability of the country, or affects or even determines national rejuvenation and the rise of the nation like education does. In this sense, education is a matter of great significance to the country and the Party."
The political attribute reflects the fundamental direction of our country's education. In General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on education, the insistence on the Party’s comprehensive leadership over education, the insistence on taking virtuous character building (立德树人, lìdé shùrén) as the fundamental task, the insistence on the socialist direction of school operations, and the insistence on rooting education in the land of China collectively embody the political attribute of education. These are interconnected and ultimately manifested in the Party’s educational policy and cultivation goals. Our purpose in building a leading country in education is to cultivate generation after generation of socialist builders and successors who are developed comprehensively in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor dimensions, and to cultivate generation after generation of pillars of talent who are highly capable and able to shoulder heavy responsibilities in socialist modernization, ensuring that the Party’s cause and the construction of a great modern socialist country have successors. To firmly grasp the political attribute of education, we must more prominently view education from the perspective of the "grand politics" of national interest, comprehensively implement the Party’s educational policy, fulfill the fundamental task of virtuous character building, persist in educating people for the Party and cultivating talent for the country, and unswervingly cultivate socialist builders and successors with all-around development. In practice, it is especially necessary to use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to "cast the soul" and educate people, and to fully implement the Virtuous Character Building Project of the New Era.
Strengthen and improve school ideological and political education in the New Era. Comprehensively build an ideological and political education system that consolidates the foundation and casts the soul, and accelerate the construction of a curriculum and textbook system with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the core content. Promote the entry of the latest achievements of the Party's innovative theories into textbooks, and promote the integrated reform and innovation of ideological and political courses across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Create a batch of "Grand Ideological and Political Course" [4] brands and high-quality textbooks that cultivate roots and cast the soul, and enlighten wisdom. While teaching the "key course" of ideological and political education well to implement the fundamental task of virtuous character building, we must achieve the organic combination of "ideological-political curricula" and "curriculum-based ideological-political education" [5], and the coordinated education of moral subjects and subject-based moral education. Expand the spaces and positions for practical and network-based education, enhance social synergy, and explore educational mechanisms that coordinate in-class and out-of-class, integrate on-campus and off-campus, and merge online and offline environments, so as to achieve the education of all personnel, through the whole process, and in all directions. Integrate the successful cases of the great transformations in the New Era and their underlying logic and philosophy into school ideological and political education. Allow students to measure the land of the motherland with their feet, discover the Chinese spirit with their eyes, listen to the voice of the people with their ears, and sense the pulse of the times with their hearts. This will enable them to profoundly realize the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments" and resolutely achieve the "Two Upholds," ensuring that the broad mass of students remains loyal to the Party, the country, the people, and socialism. It will firm up their faith in Marxism, their belief in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and their confidence in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, following the Party’s lead unswervingly, and effectively enhancing the power of ideological and political leadership.
Promote the all-around development and healthy growth of students in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor dimensions. Adhere to the simultaneous promotion and integration of these five educations and improve the educational system for comprehensive cultivation. Implement plans to strengthen student physical fitness, promote school aesthetic education immersion actions, and implement labor habit cultivation plans to quickly remedy shortcomings in physical, aesthetic, and labor education. Cultivate students' sense of social responsibility and spirit of innovation, ensuring students have responsibility on their shoulders, light in their eyes, love in their hearts, and strength in their steps. Enhance students' hands-on practical abilities, their ability to solve complex problems, and their social adaptability, and promote the deep implementation of quality-oriented education.
Implement the "Educator Spirit" action to cast the soul and strengthen the teacher workforce. Treat the strengthening of the teacher workforce as the most important foundational work for building a leading country in education. Improve the teacher education system with Chinese characteristics, remain loyal to the Party's educational cause, and promote the integration of the "Educator Spirit" into the entire process of teacher cultivation and training. This spirit should run through every link of classroom teaching, scientific research, and social practice to build a high-quality, professional teacher workforce. Cultivate "four-have" good teachers [6] who possess ideal convictions, moral sentiments, solid knowledge, and a heart of benevolence, acting as guides for students in tempering their character, learning knowledge, innovating their thinking, and dedicating themselves to the motherland.
Firmly Grasping the People-Centered Attribute of Education and Persisting in Developing Education with the People at the Center
Serving the people wholeheartedly is the fundamental purpose of our Party. Persisting in developing education with the people at the center demonstrates our Party's value pursuit of "people first." We refer to the educational undertaking as "the educational cause of the Party and the people," call the broad mass of teachers "people's teachers," and refer to outstanding representatives among teachers as "people's educators"—all of which are vivid manifestations of the people-centered attribute of education.
In 1950, Comrade Mao Zedong wrote an inscription for the inaugural issue of People’s Education: "Restoring and developing people’s education is one of the important tasks at present." Entering the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Letting the common people live a good life is the starting point and goal of all our work." "Our people love life and look forward to better education... they look forward to children growing up better, working better, and living better. The people’s aspiration for a better life is our goal." In the remarks made by General Secretary Xi Jinping when meeting Chinese and foreign journalists after the First Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee on November 15, 2012, he spoke of "two expectations" and "ten 'betters'" in one go, with education ranking first. This reflects General Secretary Xi Jinping’s sincere and profound feelings for the people and provides a fundamental compliance for us to more deeply understand the people-centered attribute of education.
The people-centered attribute reflects the value pursuit of our country’s education. In General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on education, persisting in developing education with the people at the center is the specific manifestation and vivid practice of our Party’s governance for the people in the field of education. It is also the specific manifestation of the Marxist materialist conception of history and the mass conception of history in the field of education. It embodies the unity of purpose, standard, and subject, as well as the unity of ontology, axiology, and methodology—that is, adhering to the principal position of the people, where education development is for the people, relies on the people, and its fruits are shared by the people. This means adhering to the Party’s mass line: everything for the masses, everything relying on the masses, from the masses and to the masses, turning the Party’s correct propositions into the conscious action of the masses, and striving to run education that satisfies the people. To firmly grasp the people-centered attribute of education, we must more prominently manage education as the "grand livelihood" of economic and social development, persist in the people-centered approach and "people first," and unswervingly promote the fruits of educational reform and development to benefit the broadest mass of people more extensively and fairly. In practice, it is especially necessary to focus on education as the most direct and realistic interest of the people, promote educational equity, take quality improvement as an urgent task, move from "having access to schooling" to "having access to good schooling," strive to enhance the people's sense of gain from education, and effectively enhance the capacity for livelihood security.
Improve the quality and level of public services in education. Improve the mechanism for coordinating the allocation of basic education resources in line with population changes, establish a monitoring and early warning system for changes in the school-age population at all stages of basic education, and optimize the layout of primary schools, secondary schools, and kindergartens. Establish a management system for basic education that combines municipal and county levels, tailoring measures to local conditions to utilize educational resources across different stages, and strengthening dynamic cross-stage adjustments and the redistribution of surpluses and shortages. Consolidate the foundation of basic education, deeply implement projects to expand quality and improve the caliber of basic education, and strengthen the standardization of compulsory education schools. Implement and improve support policies for inclusive private kindergartens, deeply implement the revitalization plan for county-level ordinary high schools, and strengthen the education, assistance, and care for special groups. Gradually narrow the educational gaps between regions, urban and rural areas, schools, and groups. Promote the high-quality and inclusive development of preschool education, the high-quality and balanced development of compulsory education, the high-quality and specialized development of ordinary high schools, and the high-quality and integrated development of special education, forming a fair and high-quality basic education system to enhance the inclusivity, accessibility, and convenience of public services in education. Explore the gradual expansion of the scope of free education, explore the establishment of a batch of ordinary high schools featuring science education, and manage comprehensive high schools well. Continue to do a good job in the "team-style" assistance of educational talents in key counties for national rural vitalization.
We must provide an education suitable for every child. As no two leaves in the world are exactly alike [7], while focusing on constructing an educational system that comprehensively cultivates moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor skills, we must strive to form new systems, mechanisms, and models for talent cultivation that are learner-centered and support personalized and creative learning. Basic education must not only consolidate students' knowledge base but also stimulate their interest in honoring science and exploring the unknown, cultivating inquisitive and innovative thinking habits. We must establish a scientific outlook on talent, success, and education throughout society, accelerate the reversal of the utilitarian tendency in education, coordinate the promotion of the "Double Reduction" [8] policy alongside the improvement of teaching quality, and create a healthy educational environment and ecosystem. Taking the reform of educational evaluation as the lead, we must ensure the "conductor's baton" points toward quality-oriented education, while coordinately advancing reforms in nurturing methods, school-running models, management systems, and support mechanisms to create an "overpass" for talent growth.
We shall build a learning society. We must construct a lifelong learning system based on a qualifications framework, using "credit banks" [9] as a platform and the certification of learning outcomes as a focus, forming a ubiquitous and accessible lifelong education system and improving public service levels for lifelong learning. We will strengthen the sharing of educational resources and the construction of public service platforms, build learning cities and learning communities, well-manage the National Digital University and the National University for the Elderly, and create a learning society where everyone can learn, everywhere provides learning, and learning happens at all times.
Firmly Grasping the Strategic Attribute of Education to Support and Lead Chinese-path Modernization
Education is the vital cornerstone of national rejuvenation and social progress; it is an undertaking of decisive significance for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Looking at the history of the rise and alternation of world powers, since the 16th century, the globe has successively formed five centers of science and talent in Italy, Britain, France, Germany, and the United States. Education possesses an inherent consistency with these centers, increasingly becoming the "code" for national strength and the most precious form of wealth.
Our Party has always attached great importance to the strategic attribute and strategic status of education. At the 1985 National Education Work Conference, Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "A leader who neglects education is a short-sighted and immature leader; such a person cannot lead modernization. Leaders at all levels must grasp educational work as effectively as they grasp economic work." In 1995, our country first proposed the implementation of the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education; in 2002, the strategy of strengthening the nation through talent was first proposed; in 2012, the report of the 18th Party National Congress first proposed the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy; in 2022, the report of the 20th Party National Congress for the first time made a unified arrangement and deployment of education, technology, and talent as a "trinity" [10]; in 2023, while presiding over the fifth collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "building a leading country in education is the strategic precursor to comprehensively building a great modern socialist country, an important support for achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance, an effective way to promote common prosperity for all people, and a foundational project to comprehensively promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-path modernization"; in 2024, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee further emphasized "coordinately advancing the integrated reform of systems and mechanisms for education, technology, and talent."
The strategic attribute reflects the foundational status of our country's education. In General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on education, the insistence on the priority development of education and the insistence on serving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as the important mission of education centrally embody this strategic attribute. To firmly grasp the strategic attribute of education, we must more prominently operate education from the grand strategy of integrated advancement of education, technology, and talent; persist in strategic guidance and supporting development; and unswervingly serve the construction of a great modern socialist country. From a practical perspective, it is especially necessary to look at education from beyond education, look at education from the perspective of the overall situation, and look at education with a long-term view. We must prioritize educational development, taking the construction of an education powerhouse as the precursor task, solid foundation, and strategic support for the comprehensive advancement of building a strong country and the cause of national rejuvenation. Education must be planned and developed from the overall strategic situation to enhance the talent competitiveness, technological support, and international influence of our country's education.
We will create a strategic leading force. We will implement pilot projects for the comprehensive reform of higher education. Based on basic functional orientations—such as research-oriented, application-oriented, and skill-oriented—and distinguishing between comprehensive and specialized directions, we will promote the reform and development of higher education institutions (HEIs) by category. We will guide HEIs to leverage their advantages and develop unique characteristics in different fields and "tracks," comprehensively building a self-reliant and excellent higher education system. We will accelerate the construction of world-class universities and disciplines with Chinese characteristics [11], focus on advantageous disciplines to appropriately expand the scope of "Double First-Class" construction, and establish a mechanism for adjusting discipline settings and talent cultivation models driven by scientific and technological development and national strategic needs. We will deepen the reform of doctoral education to create doctoral programs with global influence.
We will cultivate and strengthen the national strategic strength in science and technology. We must leverage the unique advantage of HEIs as the intersection of education, technology, and talent, and deepen the integrated reform of systems and mechanisms in these areas. We will reinforce the role of high-level research universities as the main force for national basic research and the source of major technological breakthroughs, improving the degree of organization in basic research. We will implement breakthrough plans for basic and interdisciplinary subjects, comprehensively construct an innovation-led technological support system, strive to improve basic research and original innovation capabilities, continuously produce major original and disruptive technological achievements, contribute to breakthroughs in "bottleneck" core technologies, and effectively support high-quality development and high-level security. We will use major tasks to lead new directions in discipline development and new models of talent cultivation, establishing effective mechanisms where technological innovation and talent cultivation support each other and drive high-quality disciplinary development.
We will cultivate talent of all types and at all levels. We will implement the "Fertile Soil Plan" (沃土计划) to foster scientific literacy among primary and secondary school students, and the "Emerging Plan" (脱颖计划) for high school students with innovative potential. We will improve the mechanism for matching talent cultivation with economic and social development needs, enhancing the quality and efficiency of independent talent cultivation. We are committed to shaping a strong capacity for independent talent cultivation and strengthening the national strategic talent force. We must persist in the integration of vocational and general education, the integration of industry and education, and the convergence of science and education. We will innovate talent cultivation models to produce more masters, strategic scientists, first-class technological leaders and innovation teams, young technological talents, outstanding engineers, "Great Country Craftsmen" (大国工匠) [12], and high-skilled talents. We will optimize the policy environment for talent growth, forming a favorable ecosystem where everyone can become a talent and everyone can fully display their talents.
We will build an important educational center. We will deeply promote the opening up of education to the outside world, coordinating "bringing in" and "going out," comprehensively constructing an international cooperation system of open mutual learning, and building an important educational center with global influence. We will strengthen the brand and capacity building of "Study in China," improve our ability to cultivate and aggregate global talent, expand international academic exchanges and cooperation in educational research, and actively participate in global educational governance, contributing Chinese wisdom, Chinese solutions, and Chinese strength to the development of global education. We will expand educational and cultural exchanges between Chinese and foreign youth, promote "people-to-people connectivity" and mutual learning between civilizations, and serve the promotion of building a community with a shared future for humanity.
On the new journey, we must persist in taking Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as our guide, fully implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on education, and uphold the Party’s comprehensive leadership over educational work. We must firmly adhere to the "Three Attributes" [13], keep the "top priorities of the nation" [14] in mind, and solidly implement the "Outline" [15]. We must grasp implementation with the "spirit of driving a nail" [16], and with the strategic vision of "nurturing people for a hundred years" [17] and the striving posture of "a hundred boats competing in the current" [18]. We will embody the fundamental requirements of the "Three Attributes" in the process of enhancing "Six Major Traits" and comprehensively constructing "Eight Major Systems," transforming them into the vivid practice of accelerating the high-quality development of education and the construction of a leading country in education.