Study Deng Xiaoping’s Educational Theory to Open Up New Prospects for Building a Strong Education Country

General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the symposium commemorating the 120th anniversary of Comrade Deng Xiaoping’s birth, highly appraising Comrade Deng Xiaoping’s great historical contributions. In 1977, Comrade Deng Xiaoping made the major decision to resume the college entrance examination, using the education front as a breakthrough to promote the rectification of various aspects of the work that had been disrupted by the Cultural Revolution. [1]1 The Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) was a political movement launched by Mao Zedong that caused widespread social and Standing at the height of the overall situation of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, Comrade Deng Xiaoping incisively expounded a series of major theoretical and practical issues concerning China’s education reform and development, forming Deng Xiaoping’s educational theory. This theory has distinct Chinese characteristics and features of the times and is a new development of Marxist educational theory.

习近平总书记在纪念邓小平同志诞辰120周年座谈会上发表重要讲话，高度评价了邓小平同志的伟大历史功勋。1977年，邓小平同志作出恢复高考的重大决定，以教育战线为突破口，推动各方面的拨乱反正。邓小平同志站在建设中国特色社会主义全局的高度，精辟地阐述了我国教育改革发展的一系列重大理论和实践问题，形成了邓小平教育理论。这一理论具有鲜明的中国特色和时代特征，是马克思主义教育理论的新发展。

Comrade Deng Xiaoping attached great importance to the Party’s leadership over educational undertakings and to upholding the socialist orientation in running schools. Upholding the Party’s leadership is the fundamental guarantee for developing socialist educational undertakings. Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out, “Schools should always place a firm and correct political direction in the first place,” and “cultivating socialist new people is politics.” [2] This thesis indicates the socialist orientation of China’s education in running schools. He reaffirmed the educational policy put forward by Comrade Mao Zedong, pointing out that comprehensive development in moral, intellectual, and physical aspects is the quality standard for cultivating talent, and emphasized the need for new developments in integrating education with productive labor. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “What kind of people to cultivate, how to cultivate them, and for whom to cultivate them are the fundamental questions of education and also the core issue of building a strong education country.” We must uphold the Party’s overall leadership over educational undertakings, unswervingly use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to forge souls and educate people, implement the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, cultivate socialist builders and successors who are well-developed morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and labor-wise, and cultivate new people of the era who are capable of shouldering the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

邓小平同志高度重视党对教育事业的领导和坚持社会主义办学方向。坚持党的领导，是发展社会主义教育事业的根本保证。邓小平同志指出，“学校应该永远把坚定正确的政治方向放在第一位”,“培养社会主义新人就是政治”。这一论断指明了我国教育的社会主义办学方向。他重申了毛泽东同志提出的教育方针，指出德、智、体等方面全面发展是培养人才的质量标准，并强调要在教育与生产劳动结合上有新的发展。习近平总书记指出：“培养什么人、怎样培养人、为谁培养人是教育的根本问题，也是建设教育强国的核心课题。”我们要坚持党对教育事业的全面领导，坚持不懈用习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想铸魂育人，落实立德树人根本任务，培养德智体美劳全面发展的社会主义建设者和接班人，培养担当民族复兴大任的时代新人。

Comrade Deng Xiaoping particularly emphasized placing education in a strategic position of priority development. Education is the most fundamental undertaking for a nation’s development and revitalization. Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out, “For our country to catch up with the world’s advanced level, we must start with science and education,” “Without talent, it won’t work; without knowledge, it won’t work,” and “We must now accelerate the development of education.” He summarized the Party’s experiences and lessons on the issue of intellectuals, proposing to foster a social atmosphere of respecting knowledge and talent, creating a favorable environment for cultivating and selecting talent. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has regarded education, science and technology, and talent as the support for comprehensively building a modern socialist country, insisting on the integrated and coordinated advancement of education, science and technology, and talent, and mapping out the grand blueprint for building a strong education country by 2035. We must adhere to the priority development of education, self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology, and talent-driven leadership, strengthen the basic support of a high-quality education system, and strive to transform the grand blueprint mapped out by General Secretary Xi Jinping into vivid practice.

邓小平同志特别强调要把教育摆在优先发展的战略地位。教育是一个民族发展和振兴最根本的事业。邓小平同志指出，“我们国家要赶上世界先进水平，要从科学和教育着手”，“没有人才不行，没有知识不行”，“现在要抓紧发展教育事业”。他总结了我党在知识分子问题上的经验教训，提出要在全社会营造尊重知识与人才的风气，为培养和选拔人才创造有利的环境。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央把教育、科技、人才作为全面建设社会主义现代化国家的支撑，坚持教育、科技、人才一体统筹推进，擘画到2035年建成教育强国的宏伟蓝图。我们要坚持教育优先发展、科技自立自强、人才引领驱动，强化高质量教育体系的基础支撑，努力将习近平总书记擘画的宏伟蓝图转化为生动实践。

Comrade Deng Xiaoping clearly proposed that education should be oriented toward modernization, toward the world, and toward the future. The “three orientations” are the essence of Deng Xiaoping’s educational theory. Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out: “Whether we can achieve the four modernizations determines the fate of our country and the fate of our nation.” [3] The realization of modernization should be taken as the goal of educational reform, so that education actively adapts to economic and social development. Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out that in developing educational undertakings, we must not only see the immediate needs but also foresee the long-term needs. Starting from its own characteristics and the long-term goals of modernization, today’s education must be able to adapt to the changing world of the future. Looking at the history of human civilization, world powers have all regarded education as a “strategic investment” in the future and the foundation for lasting prosperity. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Building a strong education country is the strategic precursor to comprehensively building a strong modern socialist country.” We must use the construction of a strong education country to support and lead Chinese-path modernization, take root in China, integrate Chinese and foreign elements, base ourselves on the times, face the future, and develop modern education with Chinese characteristics and world standards.

邓小平同志明确提出教育要面向现代化，面向世界，面向未来。“三个面向”是邓小平教育理论的精髓。邓小平同志指出：“能否实现四个现代化，决定着我们国家的命运、民族的命运。”要把实现现代化作为教育改革的目标，使教育主动适应经济社会发展。邓小平同志指出，发展教育事业不但要看到近期的需要，而且必须预见到远期的需要。要从自身特点和现代化建设的长远目标出发，使今日的教育能够适应未来变化的世界。纵观人类文明史，世界强国无一不是把教育视为对未来的“战略投资”和持久繁荣的根基。习近平总书记指出：“建设教育强国，是全面建成社会主义现代化强国的战略先导。”我们要以教育强国建设支撑引领中国式现代化，扎根中国、融通中外，立足时代、面向未来，发展具有中国特色、世界水平的现代教育。

Comrade Deng Xiaoping always insisted that teachers are the key to cultivating qualified talent. Whether qualified talent can be cultivated for socialist construction depends on teachers. Comrade Deng Xiaoping attached great importance to the construction of the teaching force, emphasizing the need to “improve the level of teachers, including their political and ideological level, professional work ability, and improvement of work style” through normal education and teacher training. To rejuvenate the country, education must first be strengthened; to strengthen education, teachers must first be strengthened. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must take strengthening the construction of the teaching force as the most important foundational work for building a strong education country.” We must promote the spirit of educators, build a high-quality and professional teaching force, guide the vast number of teachers to strive to become “four-good” teachers [4] who satisfy the Party and the people, become “great masters” [5] for students in learning, doing things, and being human, and consolidate the solid foundation for cultivating people for the Party and the country.

邓小平同志始终坚持教师是培养合格人才的关键。能不能为社会主义建设培养合格的人才，关键在教师。邓小平同志十分重视教师队伍的建设，强调要通过师范教育和师资培训“提高教师的水平，包括政治思想水平、业务工作能力以及改进作风等”。兴国必先强教，强教必先强师。习近平总书记指出：“要把加强教师队伍建设作为建设教育强国最重要的基础工作来抓。”我们要弘扬教育家精神，建设高素质专业化教师队伍，引导广大教师争做党和人民满意的“四有”好老师，做学生为学、为事、为人的“大先生”，筑牢为党育人、为国育才的坚实基础。

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, under the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, educational undertakings have achieved historic accomplishments and undergone structural changes. Today, when we study, inherit, and carry forward Deng Xiaoping’s educational theory, the most fundamental thing is to adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, comprehensively implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on education, deeply understand the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, [6] anchor the goal of building a strong education country as soon as possible, proactively plan ahead, effectively respond to changes, and strive to open up new prospects, using the power and strength of education to provide strong support for comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

党的十八大以来，在以习近平同志为核心的党中央的领导下，教育事业已取得历史性成就、发生格局性变化。今天，我们学习继承发扬邓小平教育理论，最根本的是要坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，全面贯彻习近平总书记关于教育的重要论述，深刻领悟“两个确立”的决定性意义，锚定早日建成教育强国这一目标，主动超前布局、有力应对变局、奋力开拓新局，以教育之力、教育之强为全面推进中华民族伟大复兴提供有力支撑。

Source of the article: *CPC History Studies*, September 5, 2024

文章来源：《中共党史研究》2024年9月5日

Online editor: Jing Mu

网络编辑：静穆