Dr. Jin Nuo: Important Means to Develop a World-class University with Chinese Characteristics

The Overall Plan for In-depth Education Evaluation Reform in the New Era (hereinafter referred to as the “Overall Plan”) issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council analyzes prominent problems existing in current education evaluation system, elaborates guiding ideas, main principles and objectives of education evaluation system reform, and applies top-level design to construction of education evaluation system in the new era. The following aspects shall be paid attention to particularly when learning the Overall Plan:

Firstly, focus on political attribute of education, and implement overall leadership of the CPC to education evaluation.

The leadership of the CPC is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Strengthening overall leadership of the CPC is the basic guarantee for sound development of the education in China. The Overall Plan particularly underlines full implementation of the Party’s education policy, and insists that schools should adhere to the socialist direction. The Party Committee Team of Renmin University of China (RUC) has reached consensus: it is necessary to rely on overall leadership of the CPC on education and strengthen awareness of responsibilities of the Party Committee in order to break the emphasis on only “score, further study, diploma, paper and title” (hereinafter referred to as “five-emphasis”). The Party Committee of RUC will actively implement policy requirements of CPC Central Committee to break “five-emphasis”, ascend it to the political height concerning the direction of university education, and create a favorable atmosphere for reform of education evaluation.

Secondly, return to the essential functions of education, and highlight moral education in evaluation.

Literally, “to foster virtue through education” is to strengthen moral education and cultivate people. In terms of basic connotation, it requires morality, intelligence, root and pattern. To develop a world -class university with Chinese characteristics, it is necessary to control talent quality and specifications of “both ability and political integrity”. The Overall Plan puts forward the principle of “improving results evaluation, strengthening process evaluation, exploring value-added evaluation and completing comprehensive evaluation”. RUC insists on integrating moral education into ideological and moral education, cultural knowledge education and social practical education. It creates a multifold evaluation system and strives to cultivate talented, dignified and responsible national models and pillars of the society.

Thirdly, adapt to development stage of education, and boost connotative development for education evaluation.

The connotative development of higher education focuses on transformation from “quantity expansion” to “quality improvement”. It is a kind of development allowing denotative extension and rich connotation to promote each other. The first-class teaching and first-class scientific research depend on a world-class faculty. Completing evaluation system for university teachers and leading university teachers to original intention of importing knowledge and cultivating people is the starting point to overcome emphasis on “diploma, paper and title”, and it is also of great significance to drive connotative development of higher education. RUC has actively implemented requirements of the CPC Central Committee to break the five-emphasis, strived to improve teacher title review work mechanism and gradually established a comprehensive teacher evaluation system.

Fourthly, strengthen service orientation of education, and lead the university to serve national strategies in education evaluation.

In order to develop world-class universities with Chinese characteristics, universities shall follow social demand logics and establish strong awareness of problems. RUC has always brought its advantages into full play and actively served the CPC and the government in decision-making as well as local economic and social development. It has become an important “think bank” and “think tank” for the CPC and the government. Since 2018, RUC has set pilot post of think tank scientific research under the scientific research-oriented teacher post sequence, taken think tank results as an important aspect of teacher evaluation, and improved enthusiasm of all teachers to serve the country and the society.

Dr. Jin Nuo, Chairwoman of the University Council, and Chairwoman of Board of National Academy of Development and Strategy, Renmin University of China.