Dr Iris Wu, Director of Synclabs NPC
The report delivered by Xi Jinping to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China outlined a vision for the nation as a modern socialist country, holds high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, is strategically situated and profound. The discussion about education contains new ideas, new strategies, new connotations, and also puts forward new requirements.
In past reports like the 18th or 19th National Congress of the CPC, education was usually embedded into the module about people's wellbeing improving and quality of life. This time, however, education, scientific and technological innovation, and talent development have been deployed systematically and synergistically, highlighting the importance of the strategies of invigorating the country through science and education in the process of Chinese modernisation.
Also, it reflects the strategic thought of General Secretary Xi Jinping that education is a major plan of the party and the country. Prioritizing the development of education relates to people's livelihood, to the happiness of people and is an important precursor to promoting the development of the party and the state's undertakings.
The report explicitly takes education, science and technology and talent as the fundamental and strategic support for the comprehensive construction of a modernized socialist country, the synergistic linkage development of education, science and technology and talent, also reflects the party's new understanding of the laws of socialist modernisation and elevates the education development strategy to a new height, which is conducive to reshaping a big view of workforce, education and science and technology, and to develop education beyond education.
The competition of comprehensive national power is the competition of economy, politics, science and technology and productivity, but in the end, talents are the main body of scientific and technological innovation and productivity improvement, and education is the 'power station' of all talents training.
Without a world-class education system, it is difficult to cultivate first-class scientific and technological innovation talents, and it is utterly impossible to effectively reinforce the high-quality development of various fields. Developing education is the long-term interest of a country. To achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we must, in the final analysis, accelerate the modernisation of education by relying on talents and education.
The new ideas outlined in the report of the 20th national congress points out the direction for the modernisation of Chinese education.
First, the report requires all CPC members to fully recognize who we are training talents for and who will lead the cause of education. Educating people for the party and for the country is the principle we must adhere to, and it is also the road that our educational reform must follow in development. Only by understanding who to train and who to lead, can we better understand what kind of talents to train and how to train talents. Second, it requests all the members to fully realise the mechanism and rule of the interaction among education, science and technology and talents, and the rule of mutual complementarity, mutual promotion and mutual development among them should be deeply grasped.
Last but not least, to make greater use of the fundamental role of 'education for a stronger country', in promoting 'science and technology for a stronger country' and 'talents for a stronger country', to adopt triad and coordinate development approach, and exert synergy and jointly promote the high-quality development of all aspects of the cause of the party and the country.
The development of education ultimately needs to be implemented at all levels and in all types of educational institutions. The university is a beacon of social progress, an engine leading the development of society, and shoulders the heavy responsibility of training high-level talents. High-level research universities are the convergence point of talents, science and technology, and education, and should undertake the main responsibility of the strategy of developing the country through science and education, the strategy of strengthening the country with talents, and the strategy of innovation-driven development, opening up new fields and new tracks, shaping new momentum and new advantages for development, and providing assistance for the construction of the National Innovation System(NIS), as well as planning new paths and proposing new solutions for the implementation of a strong education country.
For instance, innovation and entrepreneurship education is at the hub of about three core areas, it oriented to the needs of society and with the ultimate goal of high-quality talent cultivation, being an effective path to promote education reform, innovation-driven development and independent cultivation of talents.
Entrepreneurial society is the future development trend, and innovation and entrepreneurship are the two carriages that drive the future development of society. Looking over the horizons, universities should insist on nurturing people for the Party and talents for the country in the cultivation of innovative and entrepreneurial talents, further clarify the positioning, do the top- level design, continuously improve the layout, and lead the social development by cultivating the top innovative talents possess both political integrity and ability.
Building a country with strong education ,strong science and technology and strong human resources, is to meet the needs of the people's pursuit of a better and happier life. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, 'We promote economic and social development, in the final analysis, in order to continuously meet the needs of the people for a better life’.
How to run an education system that satisfies the people, how to comprehensively promote education equity, and how to better achieve common prosperity through education are all new missions of the Communists on the new journey, and require each of us to take up the heavy responsibility of modernising education in Chinese style with a more proactive spirit of commitment and a stronger spirit of historical initiative, and continuously write a new chapter of socialist education with Chinese characteristics in the new era.