The People's Daily reported (September 11) that  Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a National Education Conference on 10 September in Beijing. Xi Jinping pointed out that “the 19th Party Congress has made important deployment on prioritizing developing education, accelerating educational modernization, and building a education strong country.” He stressed that “our education must treat cultivating the builders and successors of socialism as its fundamental mission” and “lead the students to love and support the CCP and to be determined in listening to and following the Party.” Xi highlighted that “[one] must strive to build an educational system that comprehensively cultivate morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetic sense, and value of work (德智体美劳).” Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also gave a speech at the conference, stressing the need to “cultivate more innovative and high-quality talents.” Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, and Han Zheng attended the conference.

Meanwhile, the People’s Daily began a commentator series on Xi Jinping’s important speech at the national education conference.

 

The first People’s Daily editorial on September 12, stated that Xi Jinping’s speech at the national education conference is “an action guide for establishing well an education system that satisfies the people.” The editorial contributed the “remarkable achievements” in China’s education system in the past five years to the “strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core” and the “scientific guidance of the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.” It stressed that “education concerns the country’s development and the nation’s future” and that “the Party’s leadership over education must be firmly grasped.”

 

The second article (September 13) stressed that “only socialism can save China, and only socialism with Chinese characteristics can develop China and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” It maintained that “the competition between comprehensive national strength in today’s world is a competition between talents at its roots.” Therefore, “the need for education, scientific knowledge, and excellent talents for the development of the Party’s and the state’s undertaking has become more urgent than ever.”

 

The third article (September 14) pointed out the “nine insistences” for advancing educational reform and development in China. These include insisting on the Party’s comprehensive leadership over educational work, treating establishing integrity and cultivating talent (立德树人) as the fundamental mission of education, prioritizing developing education, following the direction of socialism, rooting education in China (扎根中国大地办教育), centering on the people, deepening innovation in education, and taking serving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as the important task of education.