ZHANG Donggang: Striving to Create a New Landscape for Ideological and Political Education in the New Era

Zhang Donggang, Party Secretary of Renmin University of China and Chairman of National Academy of Development and Strategy, published an article titled “Striving to Create a New Landscape for Ideological and Political Education in the New Era” in Studies in Ideological Education journal. The key points are as follows:

Xi Jinping emphasized that building a strong socialist education system with Chinese characteristics must uphold the Party’s comprehensive leadership, with fostering virtue through education as the fundamental task. It is essential to use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to shape minds and cultivate talents while strengthening ideological and political education in schools. These discussions clarify the core questions of “what kind of people to cultivate, how to cultivate them, and for whom they are cultivated”. As a key course for implementing fostering virtue through education, ideological and political education plays a crucial role in advancing China’s status as an educational powerhouse. It is necessary to thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping’s important discourses on education and ideological and political courses, continuously innovate ideological and political education, and cultivate more young talents with patriotism, dedication, and a strong sense of responsibility for national rejuvenation.

First and foremost, it is essential to guide the development direction of ideological and political theory courses.

Strengthen Political Attributes. Ideological and political theory courses are key to upholding the socialist orientation of education. They must resonate with the Party’s innovative theories and national development goals, serving the objective of building a strong socialist education system.

Clarify the Fundamental Purpose. The core mission of ideological and political theory courses is to cultivate a new generation capable of shouldering the great task of national rejuvenation. These courses should guide young students in strengthening their ideals and beliefs, fostering patriotism and dedication, and integrating fostering virtue through education into the entire educational process.

Improve Systems and Mechanisms. The construction of ideological and political theory courses is a systematic project that requires comprehensive planning to prevent fragmented development. By deepening educational governance and establishing a holistic ideological and political theory courses framework, these courses can play a pivotal role in building a strong education system.

Next, it is important to deeply understand the fundamental requirements and internal logic for the construction of ideological and political theory courses in the new era.

Clarify Core Content. ideological and political theory courses must adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as their core. They should build a scientific curriculum and textbook system, deepen education on the Party’s innovative theories, and guide students to enhance their political, ideological, theoretical, and emotional identification.

Master Scientific Methods. Ideological and political theory courses should present clear reasoning, ensuring that the content is “accurate, deep, thorough, and engaging”. They must adhere to the “unity of the eight aspects” and incorporate Chinese excellent traditional culture, revolutionary culture, and socialist advanced culture. Additionally, innovative teaching methods should be introduced, utilizing modern information technology to increase the classroom’s impact.

       Focus on Key Tasks. Ideological and political theory courses should align with students’ growth patterns and promote the integrated development of ideological and political education in a step-by-step manner. This should ensure close connections and a spiral progression between various educational stages from primary to higher education, guiding students to establish correct worldviews, life values, and outlooks on life.

       Strengthen Foundational Support Is Crucial, Particularly through Building A Strong Teaching Staff. This involves reinforcing the development of Marxist theory disciplines, improving teacher training systems, enhancing the recruitment, management, cultivation, and evaluation processes, establishing a sound incentive mechanism, and ensuring favorable conditions for ideological and political theory courses teachers.

Reinforce Fundamental Guarantees. The construction of ideological and political theory courses must adhere to and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership. This includes establishing a working framework where the Party committee leads and makes joint efforts in the shared management, creating a responsibility system, integrating resources, and fostering a strong collective force to promote the high-quality development of ideological and political theory courses.

Finally, it is essential to create a new era for ideological and political education by building high-level “model courses” in ideological and political education.

Strengthen the Party’s Comprehensive Leadership. Higher education institutions must regard ideological and political theory courses development as a core task of school management. A system and mechanism must be built where the Party committee leads, and the entire school is involved, ensuring systematic support in teaching resources, team development, assessment, and evaluation.

Solidify the Theoretical Research Foundation. This can be achieved by deepening the academic study of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, promoting innovation in ideological and political education and teaching outcomes, and supporting politics through academic research, guiding students to accurately understand the Party’s innovative theories.

Build A High-quality Curriculum System. The goal is to create “model courses” in ideological and political education that fully integrate Xi Jinping’s Thought into curriculum teaching, forming a holistic educational framework that involves all members of the educational community, covers the entire educational process, and permeates every course.

Promote the Construction of Ideological and Political Education Framework. This involves integrating classroom teaching with social practice resources, leveraging red educational sites, practice bases, and digital platforms, and advancing the integration of ideological and political education across all educational stages from primary schools to universities, increasing the appeal and influence of ideological and political theory courses.

Strengthen the Teaching Staff. This includes improving the evaluation of academic titles and the incentive mechanisms, enhancing the political literacy and teaching ability of instructors, promoting the spirit of educators, and ensuring that ideological and political education teachers become steadfast believers and active communicators of the Party’s innovative theories.

(Translated by ZHANG Yuqing; Proofread by YANG Fanxin)