Correctly Handling the “Five Major Relationships” to Solidly Advance the Building of an Education Powerhouse

“Revering education and encouraging learning are the great foundation of state-building; promoting talent and nurturing ability are the foremost tasks of governance.” [1]1 A classical Chinese quotation from Zhu Shunshui (1600–1682), a Ming loyalist scholar who fled to Japan after the dynasty’s fall. Education is the cornerstone of building a strong country and rejuvenating the nation. In his important speech at the National Education Conference in September 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping made a systematic plan for accelerating the building of an education powerhouse on the new journey of the New Era, expounded the scientific connotation of an education powerhouse, and pointed out the basic path for an education powerhouse, marking a milestone in the history of China’s educational development. At present, the level of China’s educational modernization has entered the upper-middle ranks of the world, and it has built the world’s largest education system. However, to further advance the building of an education powerhouse and consolidate education as a foundational undertaking related to national rejuvenation and social progress, it is necessary to correctly handle five major relationships.

“敬教劝学，建国之大本；兴贤育才，为政之先务。”教育是强国建设、民族复兴的基石。习近平总书记在2024年9月全国教育大会上发表重要讲话，对新时代新征程加快建设教育强国作出了系统部署，阐述了教育强国的科学内涵，指明了教育强国的基本路径，在我国教育发展史上具有重要的里程碑意义。当前，我国教育现代化发展水平已步入世界中上行列，建成了世界规模最大的教育体系，但要进一步推进教育强国建设，稳固教育这一关乎民族复兴与社会进步的基础事业，必须要正确处理好五个方面的重大关系。

Correctly handle the relationship between supporting national strategy and meeting the needs of people’s livelihoods

正确处理支撑国家战略和满足民生需求的关系

Education is a major plan of the country and a major plan of the Party. Education carries a distinct political mission, profound people’s sentiment, and long-term strategic significance. It must not only provide solid talent support for major national strategies but also continuously meet the urgent needs of the broad masses of the people for high-quality educational resources and diversified educational models. It can be seen that supporting the national strategy and meeting the needs of people’s livelihoods are fundamentally and internally unified in the core mission of education. On the one hand, every step of educational reform and development should closely revolve around the core goals of the national strategy, precisely focus on the main direction, key links, and key areas, and ensure that the allocation of educational resources and the direction of talent cultivation are highly aligned with the strategic prosperity needs of the country in the integrated advancement of educational development, scientific and technological innovation, and talent cultivation, injecting inexhaustible impetus into the long-term development of the country. On the other hand, the reform and development of the education sector are also directly related to the quality of life and future prospects of each individual. As General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, building an education powerhouse must “adhere to a people-centered approach, continuously enhance the inclusiveness, accessibility, and convenience of public education services, and let the fruits of educational reform and development benefit all the people more and more fairly.” Therefore, the development of education must ensure that the people can fairly and equally enjoy high-quality educational services, and must continuously enhance the people’s sense of happiness and sense of gain.

教育是国之大计、党之大计。教育承载着鲜明的政治使命、深厚的人民情怀与长远的战略意义，其不仅要为国家重大战略提供坚实的人才支撑，同时还要不断满足广大人民群众对于高品质教育资源和多元化教育模式的迫切需求。可见，支撑国家战略与满足民生需求，二者从根本上内在地统一于教育的核心使命之中。一方面，教育改革和发展的每一步，都应紧密围绕国家战略的核心目标，精准聚焦主攻方向、关键环节与重点领域，要在教育发展、科技创新与人才培养一体化推进中确保教育资源的配置、人才培养的方向与国家战略繁荣需求高度契合，为国家的长远发展注入不竭动力。另一方面，教育领域的改革发展也直接关系到每个人的生活品质与未来前景。正如习近平总书记强调的，建设教育强国必须“要坚持以人民为中心，不断提升教育公共服务的普惠性、可及性、便捷性，让教育改革发展成果更多更公平惠及全体人民”。因此，教育事业的发展必须确保人民能够公正平等享受高质量的教育服务，必须不断提升人民的幸福感与获得感。

Correctly handle the relationship between knowledge learning and comprehensive development

正确处理知识学习和全面发展的关系

Adhering to “simultaneous development of five aspects of education” [2]2 “Simultaneous development of five aspects of education” (五育并举) refers to the policy of promoting moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education together. and promoting the comprehensive development of students in morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics, and labor is an inevitable requirement for building an education powerhouse. Although knowledge learning mainly belongs to the category of intellectual education, knowledge learning is not the only manifestation of intellectual education, nor should it run counter to comprehensive development. On the contrary, as a multi-dimensional process of quality improvement, knowledge learning itself integrates many elements such as aesthetic creation, labor education, physical exercise, and moral cultivation, constituting a solid foundation for promoting the comprehensive development of students. Therefore, knowledge learning should not be narrowed down to the learning of knowledge points. Education at all levels and types should abandon the theory of “only scores” and “only advancement,” actively optimize and improve the way knowledge is transmitted, and based on the comprehensiveness and practicality of knowledge, guide students to learn by doing and learning by using, achieving the comprehensive development of comprehensive qualities. At the same time, to promote the comprehensive development of students, under the concept of “simultaneous development of five aspects of education,” it is necessary to build an integrated education system of “five aspects of education” that uses associative, integrative, and penetrating thinking to shape morality through moral education, empower through intellectual education, strengthen will through physical education, nourish the heart through aesthetic education, and shape people through labor education. Let knowledge learning become the key link for the coordinated efforts of the “five aspects of education,” so that students, in the educational process mainly based on knowledge learning, become talents of the New Era with noble character, solid knowledge, strong physique, aesthetic taste, and labor spirit, maximizing the realization of the fundamental task of education to “foster virtue and nurture people.” [3]3 “Foster virtue and nurture people” (立德树人) is a standard formulation for the fundamental task of education in the CPC’s policy discourse.

坚持“五育并举”，促进学生德智体美劳全面发展是教育强国建设的必然要求。尽管知识的学习主要归属于智育范畴，但知识学习却并非智育的唯一体现，更不应与全面发展背道而驰。相反，作为一个多维度的素养提升过程，知识学习本身即融合了审美创造、劳动教育、体育锻炼以及品德修养等诸多要素内容，构成了促进学生全面发展的坚实基础。因此，知识学习不应被窄化为知识点的学习，各级各类教育要摒弃“唯分数”论、“唯升学”论，要积极优化改进知识传递的方式，基于知识的综合性和实践性，引导学生在做中学、在用中学，实现综合素养的全面发展。与此同时，促进学生的全面发展，要在“五育并举”的理念下，以关联式、融通式、渗透式的思维构建起德育铸魂、智育赋能、体育强志、美育润心和劳育塑人的“五育”融合教育体系。要让知识学习成为“五育”协同发力的关键纽带，使学生在以知识学习为主要形式的教育过程中，成为具备高尚品德、扎实学识、强健体魄、审美情趣及劳动精神的新时代人才，最大化实现教育“立德树人”的根本任务。

Correctly handle the relationship between cultivating talent and meeting social needs

正确处理培养人才和满足社会需要的关系

As the cornerstone for promoting social development and progress, to better serve high-quality development, education must closely track the dynamic changes in the social environment, comprehensively and highly meet the urgent needs of economic and social development for diverse and multi-level talents such as research-oriented elites and skilled personnel, and provide solid talent support for social progress and development. Therefore, whether it can meet social needs is an important criterion for evaluating the effectiveness of talent cultivation, while cultivating talent is the mission and responsibility of education to actively respond to the needs of social development. In the process of comprehensively advancing Chinese-path modernization, education should clarify the strategic direction of structural reform, closely align with the changing trends of the social industrial structure and the actual situation of talent demand, accurately grasp the key links of reform, strengthen the effectiveness of education in serving social development, and strive to build a practical talent cultivation system that meets the requirements of the New Era. In addition, in the current trend of continuous change and innovation in the world, innovation has become the source power of social progress. Talent cultivation in the New Era must also focus on guiding the educated to learn to recognize change, be brave to adapt to change, and actively seek change, so that promoting industrial upgrading and social progress becomes the core value pursuit of personal career development, effectively promoting various fields to achieve groundbreaking results through continuous innovation. Especially in the face of the national strategic need to develop new quality productive forces, education must be based on the perspective of new quality productive forces, comprehensively optimize the cultivation of high-quality talents, continuously consolidate the foundation for cultivating new quality productive forces in various social fields, and promote high-quality development of the economy and society in the harmonious interaction between cultivating talent and meeting social needs.

作为推动社会发展进步的基石，教育要更好地服务高质量发展，就要紧密跟踪社会环境的动态变化，全面高质满足经济社会发展对研究型精英、技能型人才等多样化、多层次人才的迫切需求，为社会进步发展提供坚实的人才支撑。因此，是否能够满足社会需要，是评判人才培养成效的重要标准，而培养人才则是教育积极回应社会发展需的使命担当。在全面推进中国式现代化建设的进程中，教育应当明晰结构改革的战略方向，紧密贴合社会产业结构的变革态势与人才需求的实际状况，精准把握改革的关键环节，强化教育服务社会发展的效能，致力于构建适应新时代要求的实用型人才培养体系。另外，在当今世界不断变革创新的潮流中，创新已成为社会进步的源动力。新时代的人才培养还必须注重引导受教育者学会识变、勇于应变、主动求变，让促进产业升级和社会进步成为个人职业发展的核心价值追求，有力推动各领域在不断创新中取得开创性成果。特别是面对发展新质生产力的国家战略需求，教育更是要立足新质生产力视域，全面优化高素质人才培养，不断夯实社会各领域新质生产力的培育基础，在培养人才和满足社会需要的和谐互动中推动经济社会的高质量发展。

Correctly handle the relationship between standardized order and stimulating vitality

正确处理规范有序和激发活力的关系

Building an education powerhouse must adhere to upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, and the relationship between standardized order and stimulating vitality is a concrete manifestation of the relationship between “upholding fundamental principles” and “breaking new ground.” Standardized order means “upholding fundamental principles,” which requires that the work of education strictly abide by the major policies and laws and regulations of the Party and the state, and provide a standardized basic framework and stable operating environment for educational activities, ensuring that educational work is carried out in an orderly manner. Only within a standardized and orderly educational framework can cutting-edge educational knowledge, advanced educational concepts, and innovative teaching methods be integrated into every link of education, teaching, and management; can educational activities keep pace with the times, present diverse characteristics, and be full of innovative spirit; can each educated person be guaranteed to share high-quality educational resources and participate in diverse educational activities to the greatest extent, ensuring the fairness and stability of education. Stimulating vitality means “breaking new ground,” which requires achieving continuous progress and innovative development of education in the work of deepening comprehensive educational reform. Only by taking reform and innovation as the key words for the development of education, and systematically promoting the reform and innovation of education methods, school-running models, management systems, and guarantee mechanisms, can we effectively strengthen teacher-student interaction, improve teaching effectiveness, broaden educational effectiveness, and realize China’s leap from a large country in education to a powerful country in education.

建设教育强国必须坚持守正创新，而规范有序与激发活力之间正是“守正”与“创新”关系的具体体现。规范有序就是“守正”，就是要求教育工作的开展严格遵守党和国家的大政方针以及法律法规，就是要为教育活动提供规范的基本框架和稳定的运行环境，确保教育工作有条不紊地开展。唯有在规范有序的教育框架内，才能将前沿的教育知识、先进的教育理念以及创新的教学手段融入教育教学与管理的每一个环节；才能保证教育活动紧跟时代步伐、呈现多元特色、充满创新精神；才能最大限度保证每位受教育者共享高质量的教育资源、参与多样化的教育活动，保障教育的公平性和稳定性。而激发活力就是“创新”，就是要在深化教育综合改革的工作中实现教育持续进步和创新发展。唯有将改革与创新作为发展教育事业的关键词，系统推进育人方式、办学模式、管理体制、保障机制的改革创新落到实处，才能有效强化师生互动、提升教学成效、拓宽育人效能，实现我国从教育大国向教育强国的跃升。

Correctly handle the relationship between taking root in China’s soil and drawing on international experience

正确处理扎根中国大地和借鉴国际经验的关系

Taking root in China’s soil and drawing on international experience have a close and complementary internal relationship. In the process of building an education powerhouse, the two are concretely manifested as the organic integration of local educational characteristics and international vision, and the harmonious coexistence of educational nationality and internationality. On the one hand, an education powerhouse must be deeply rooted in China’s cultural soil, taking the unique historical culture, social system, and actual national conditions of the Chinese nation as the starting point, especially by utilizing the vivid educational resources contained in the excellent traditional Chinese culture, such as cultural classics, moral norms, literature and art, philosophy and religion, and in the process of promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of the excellent traditional Chinese culture, let the educated strengthen historical consciousness and firm cultural confidence imperceptibly. On the other hand, in the irreversible wave of globalization, actively absorbing and drawing on advanced educational concepts, management methods, and teaching models from abroad provides a valuable opportunity to broaden educational horizons and stimulate innovative thinking in education. Under the premise of maintaining and promoting the characteristics of China’s education, effectively integrating global top educational resources and elements helps to enhance the talent cultivation effectiveness of China’s education system, helps to accelerate the comprehensive prosperity of China’s education cause, and helps to explore and open up a path to building an education powerhouse that is both in line with international trends and deeply Chinese in character.

扎根中国大地与借鉴国际经验存在着紧密互补的内在联系，二者在教育强国的建设过程中具体表现为教育本土特色与国际视野的有机融合，以及教育民族性与国际性的和谐共生。一方面，教育强国必须深深植根于中国的文化土壤，以中华民族独特的历史文化、社会制度、现实国情等为出发点，特别是要借助中华优秀传统文化所涵盖的文化典籍、道德规范、文学艺术、哲学宗教等鲜活的教育资源，在推动中华优秀传统文化创造性转化和创新性发展的过程中让受教育者在潜移默化中强化历史自觉、坚定文化自信。另一方面，在全球化不可逆转的浪潮中，积极吸纳借鉴海外先进的教育理念、管理方法及教学模式，为拓宽教育视野、激发教育创新思维提供了宝贵契机。在保持和弘扬我国教育特色前提下，有效融合全球顶尖的教育资源与要素，有助于提升我国教育体系的人才培养效能，有助于加速推进中国教育事业的全面繁荣，有助于探索并开辟出一条既符合国际趋势又深具中国特色的教育强国之路。

In sum, building a strong educational country is a comprehensive systemic project that is both arduous and long-term. It requires us to closely adhere to the fundamental task of “fostering virtue and nurturing talent” [4]4 “Fostering virtue and nurturing talent” (立德树人) is a core educational principle in the Chinese Communist Party’s policy framework, emphasizing moral education as the foundation of talent cultivation., and to steadily handle multiple relationships: supporting national strategy and meeting the needs of the people’s livelihood, knowledge learning and comprehensive development, cultivating talent and meeting social needs, maintaining order and stimulating vitality, and taking root in China’s soil while drawing on international experience. This will build a high-quality, high-efficiency education system, providing solid talent support and intellectual backing for the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

总之，构建教育强国是一项既艰巨又长远的综合性系统工程，它要求我们紧扣“立德树人”的根本任务，稳步处理好支撑国家战略和满足民生需求、知识学习和全面发展、培养人才和满足社会需要、规范有序和激发活力、扎根中国大地和借鉴国际经验等多重关系，构建起高质量、高效能的教育体系，为中华民族伟大复兴的中国梦提供坚实的人才支撑与智力支持。

Author: Zou Qingchao, Lecturer at Sichuan Provincial Cadre Correspondence College (Sichuan Vocational College of Cultural Industries)

作者：四川省干部函授学院（四川文化产业职业学院）讲师 邹庆超

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧