Global Times: Up Close: President Xi joins national political advisors in education discussion

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Mar 09, 2025, 10:44 ET

BEIJING, March 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited national political advisors from the China Democratic League, the China Association for Promoting Democracy, and the sector of education, who are currently attending the third session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing on Thursday. Xi attended their joint group meeting, and heard their comments and suggestions.

'Education must not abandon fundamentals'

Artificial intelligence (AI) is empowering education. New tracks and opportunities have emerged, accompanied by new challenges and concerns.

Xu Kun, a member of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, shared his insights from practice. "AI has become a key variable in accelerating the transformation from a large educational country to a strong educational country," Xu said.

Xi showed keen interest in this topic: "With the digitalization of education, some issues need to be clarified."

On one hand, with the rise of the Internet of Intelligence and AI, the tools and methods of education will change, as will the development of students' capacities, requiring reforms that keep pace with the times. On the other hand, the enlightenment of students' minds, the nurturing of their hearts and the development of basic cognitive and problem-solving skills must not be neglected. The fundamentals must still be maintained, Xi said.

Comparing with the past, he gave an example: "In the past, when shopping at a store, some people had to count change one by one at a time, which often indicated a lack of basic mathematical skills. After the advent of calculators, the demands on these basic skills shifted compared with the days of using an abacus. Even so, education must not abandon the fundamentals."

As the saying goes, "To ensure a good outcome, one must establish a solid foundation; to achieve a good future, one must be meticulous from the start." In today's surging wave of digitalization, what are the "fundamentals" that education must not abandon?

The inheritance of the "red gene," for instance.

Ma Jinglin, a member of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC from Beijing No. 4 High School, spoke on the theme of cultural inheritance and cultural confidence. "Schools plant a seed in a person's heart. Primary schools, middle schools and even kindergartens play a crucial role in a person's life. We must start from children." "We should effectively integrate the 'small classroom' of ideological and political education with the 'big classroom' of society," Xi said.

This instruction reflects a steadfast resolve amid the changes of the times.

"Education must hold firm, cultivating patriotism from a young age," said Xi earnestly. "Instilling ideals and firm beliefs from childhood ensures that, as they grow, the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics will have reliable successors."

Another example is reading.

Cultural prosperity relies on the spiritual nourishment brought by reading. "Fragmented reading" is also one of the "worries" that accompany digitalization.

In the digital age, with society moving at a fast pace, it's not easy to sit down quietly and patiently to read a book. From the families with a culture of reading in the past to today's advocacy for building a culture of reading on campuses and in society, the president expressed his deep hope: "A culture of reading is an atmosphere."

Zheng Jiajian, another member of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC from Fujian Normal University in East China's Fujian Province, proposed "building a diverse and multidimensional reading ecosystem for children and adolescents." "Digital reading should be combined with traditional reading to preserve our core and cultivation," Xi affirmed.

This instruction highlights a strategy of harnessing technology for our benefit.

With an internet cable, a screen and a platform, quality educational resources transcend mountains and seas. In recent years, education has taken flight on digital wings, presenting a myriad of achievements. Implementing the national strategy for digital education has been incorporated into the Master Plan on Building China into a Leading Country in Education (2024-35). China's ranking in the global digital education development index has risen to ninth place.

"To implement the national strategy for digital education and build a learning society, we must promote the emergence of talent at all levels and in all fields." During his visit to the group, Xi engaged in in-depth exchanges with everyone on this topic.

In the face of opportunities brought by digital education, maintaining resolve while taking proactive steps aims to foster an atmosphere with the culture of books, and a wealth of talent, all for the future of the Chinese nation.

'Education must plan ahead and act swiftly'

Education is a cornerstone of the country and the Party.

"Every family pays attention to education, and there are many hot topics in this area, indicating a strong educational atmosphere. It also reflects that our education still falls short of the people's expectations in some respects." Xi's concerns unfolded from the issue of aligning talent cultivation with practical needs.

In the exchange of questions and answers, a metaphor stood out: "Turning a corner."

After the speech by Zhang Yunkai, a member of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC from the Traffic Vocational-Technical School of Hebei Province in North China, Xi inquired in detail about student employment rates and the recent progress of "order-based" classes in school-enterprise cooperation, discussing the changing dynamics of talent supply and demand, and the positioning of vocational schools.

"Talent follows a shifting supply-demand relationship, and education must plan ahead and act swiftly." Xi's words carried a sense of urgency: "This isn't something that can be reoriented with a few words. It requires one or two 'five-year plans' to align properly. Many factors need to be considered in the process. If we don't plan now, it'll be too late when the time comes."

"Vocational schools must adapt to real supply and demand needs, which involve structural adjustments in education. Structural adjustment is a systemic process, a vector change influenced by multiple factors. Education is both a matter of utmost importance and an extremely complex issue. It requires persistent effort over time, yet it is also an urgent priority."

In the conversation, a comparison provided a sharp contrast: "Good schools are defined by great teachers, not just grand buildings."

Cai Guangjie, a member of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC and deputy director of the Department of Education of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, noted that in recent years, as population distribution has shifted toward cities and the school-age population decreases in stages, new challenges have emerged, such as the coexistence of a surplus and shortage of school places and an imbalanced teacher workforce structure.

We must align with the needs of modernization, adapt to demographic changes, coordinate basic education, higher education, and vocational education, and balance government and societal investments to establish a more rational and efficient mechanism for allocating educational resources, Xi said.

How can there be a balance between quantity and quality? How can timing and effectiveness be coordinated in an orderly manner? "Some schools are built to be 'grand and imposing,' but good schools are defined by great teachers, not just grand buildings. We must focus on improving quality, pursuing connotative development, and addressing existing problems."

Problems are the voice of the times. Educational challenges must be viewed from both sides, dialectically, and with a long-term perspective. "These are new issues brought by changes in progress. The process of solving problems is also the process of advancing development."

"Our own educational journey has undergone earth-shaking changes!" Xi's words have painted a grand picture of New China's educational development history, unfolding like a scroll.

In times of poverty and scarcity, literacy classes were held to eradicate illiteracy. "Back then, it was a question of whether people could eat enough. The entire Chinese population tightened their belts, and education funding was stretched thin," Xi recalled.

At the dawn of reform and opening-up, from collective fundraising for schools to the "Hope Project," how many children's dreams were ignited. "Back then, I helped raise funds to build a primary school in Liangjiahe village in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and I was quite pleased. Later, why did it disappear? It was a good thing - schools were centralized in townships to improve education quality. That was another structural adjustment in education," Xi said.

When he was a young man, Xi spent seven years in Liangjiahe, a poor village at the time in Shaanxi. After witnessing the hardship of people's lives in the barren mountains, Xi resolved to become a public servant and do some good for the people.

Into the new century and the new era, schools rebuilt in disaster areas, deep in the mountains, and in ethnic regions... have collectively borne witness to the thriving progress of Chinese education.

Times have changed, and the world has transformed. Today, China has built the world's largest education system, with its overall level of educational modernization entering the upper-middle ranks globally. The once-illiterate country has become an education powerhouse, now advancing toward a leading country in education, while the populous country has grown into a human resources giant.

The report to the 20th CPC National Congress dedicated a chapter to education, science and talent, sounding the clarion call to accelerate the building of a country with powerful education. Each journey brings new landscapes, where opportunities and challenges coexist. Deepening comprehensive education reform seeks to adapt to the changes of the times, anchoring the new journey of advancing the socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Xi's remarks resounded through the venue. "In the new era and on the new journey, we must deeply grasp the demands of Chinese modernization on education, science, and talent, strengthen education's supporting role in science and talent development, and further create a vibrant landscape where talents emerge in abundance, fully realize their potential, and put their abilities to optimal use."