Firmly Grasp the Political Attribute, People’s Attribute, and Strategic Attribute of Education

Building a strong educational system has been a cherished aspiration of the Chinese nation since modern times. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech at the National Education Conference profoundly answers a series of major questions about why, what kind of, and how to build a strong educational system on the new journey of the New Era, putting forward a series of new ideas, viewpoints, and conclusions that embody major theoretical innovation and guide the practice of building a strong educational system, highlighting the political attribute, people’s attribute, and strategic attribute of education. We must deeply study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech, firmly grasp the political attribute, people’s attribute, and strategic attribute of education, advance educational work with the political stance of adhering to the original aspiration and founding mission in pursuing education, the people-oriented orientation of running education rooted in China, and the strategic wisdom of revitalizing education based on the overall situation, and strive unremittingly to build a strong educational system.

建成教育强国是近代以来中华民族梦寐以求的美好愿望。习近平总书记在全国教育大会上的重要讲话，深刻回答了新时代新征程为什么要建设教育强国、建设什么样的教育强国、怎样建设教育强国等一系列重大问题，提出一系列体现重大理论创新、指引教育强国建设实践的新思想新观点新论断，彰显了教育的政治属性、人民属性、战略属性。我们要深入学习贯彻习近平总书记重要讲话精神，牢牢把握教育的政治属性、人民属性、战略属性，以坚守初心谋教育的政治站位、扎根中国办教育的为民导向、立足全局兴教育的战略智慧推进教育工作，为建成教育强国不懈奋斗。

Firmly Grasp the Political Attribute of Education, Adhere to the Original Aspiration and Founding Mission in Pursuing Education

牢牢把握教育的政治属性，坚守初心谋教育

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “The strong educational system we aim to build is a socialist educational system with Chinese characteristics, which should possess strong ideological and political guiding force, talent competitiveness, scientific and technological support, livelihood security, social synergy, and international influence.” Education is a practical activity that exists under certain social conditions, constrained by the existing economic base, political structure, and cultural environment of society, and is a reflection and derivation of society’s economic base and ideology. The development process of education shows that education has distinct political attributes and political functions. In class society, the purpose of education often reflects the will of the ruling class. The political attribute of education determines the fundamental question of education: what kind of people to cultivate, how to cultivate them, and for whom to cultivate them. Adhering to the political attribute of education, focusing on cultivating socialist builders and successors who are well-developed morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and labor-wise, is the success code for China’s educational endeavors to advance steadily and with firm strides.

习近平总书记强调，“我们要建成的教育强国，是中国特色社会主义教育强国，应当具有强大的思政引领力、人才竞争力、科技支撑力、民生保障力、社会协同力、国际影响力”。教育是存在于一定社会条件下的实践活动，受制于社会既有的经济基础、政治结构和文化环境等，是社会经济基础和意识形态的反映与派生。教育的发展历程表明，教育具有鲜明的政治属性与政治功能。在阶级社会中，教育的目的往往反映统治阶级的意志。教育的政治属性决定着培养什么人、怎样培养人、为谁培养人这一教育的根本问题。坚持教育的政治属性，着眼于培养德智体美劳全面发展的社会主义建设者和接班人，是我国教育事业步履铿锵、行稳致远的成功密码。

On the new journey of the New Era, to firmly grasp the political attribute of education, we must combine the social, ideological, and individual functions of education, deeply understand the political direction, ideology, and educational orientation reflected behind education to plan and advance educational work, and accelerate the building of a strong educational system. We must focus on the social function of education and adhere to holding high the banner and setting the direction. Transform the political attribute of education into the socialist direction of running schools, into the development path of socialist education with Chinese characteristics, into the strategic deployment and specific goals of building a strong educational system, establish the “four beams and eight pillars” [1]1 “Four beams and eight pillars” (四梁八柱) is a Chinese architectural metaphor for the main supporting framework of a structure, used here to describe the fundamental components of the educational system. of building a strong educational system, and ensure that education fulfills its political function of serving the people, serving the governance of the Chinese Communist Party, serving the consolidation and development of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and serving reform and opening up and socialist modernization. We must focus on the ideological function of education and adhere to consolidating souls and forging spirits. Leverage the significant advantage of strong ideological and political guiding force, fully utilize the role of socialist ideology through forms such as classroom education, cultural education, practical education, and online education, cultivate and practice core socialist values, promote the main theme, spread positive energy, and consolidate the educational foundation, build the educational front, and guard the educational battle line for the Party’s ideological work. We must focus on the individual function of education and adhere to fostering virtue and nurturing people. Take the fundamental goal of cultivating talent for the Party and the country, cultivate generation after generation of socialist builders and successors who are well-developed morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and labor-wise, cultivate generation after generation of pillars who are capable and can shoulder heavy responsibilities in socialist modernization, ensure that young students are loyal to the Party, loyal to the country, loyal to the people, and loyal to socialism, unswervingly listen to the Party and follow the Party, and ensure that the cause of the Party and the people is passed down from generation to generation.

新时代新征程，牢牢把握教育的政治属性，就要结合教育的社会性、思想性、个体性功能，深刻把握教育背后所反映的政治方向、意识形态和育人导向来谋划和推进教育工作，加快建设教育强国。要着眼教育的社会性功能，坚持举旗定向。将教育的政治属性转化为社会主义办学方向，转化为中国特色社会主义教育发展道路，转化为建设教育强国的战略部署和具体目标，搭建教育强国建设的“四梁八柱”，确保教育发挥为人民服务、为中国共产党治国理政服务、为巩固和发展中国特色社会主义制度服务、为改革开放和社会主义现代化建设服务的政治功能。要着眼教育的思想性功能，坚持凝心铸魂。发挥强大的思政引领力这一显著优势，通过课堂育人、文化育人、实践育人、网络育人等形式充分发挥社会主义意识形态的作用，培育和践行社会主义核心价值观，弘扬主旋律、传播正能量，为党的意识形态工作夯实教育基础、筑牢教育阵地、守好教育战线。要着眼教育的个体性功能，坚持立德树人。以为党育人、为国育才为根本目标，培养一代又一代德智体美劳全面发展的社会主义建设者和接班人，培养一代又一代在社会主义现代化建设中可堪大用、能担重任的栋梁之材，确保青年学生忠于党、忠于国家、忠于人民、忠于社会主义，坚定不移听党话、跟党走，确保党和人民事业薪火相传。

Firmly Grasp the People’s Attribute of Education, Run Education Rooted in China

牢牢把握教育的人民属性，扎根中国办教育

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “We must adhere to a people-centered approach, continuously enhance the inclusiveness, accessibility, and convenience of public education services, and let the achievements of education reform and development benefit all the people more and more fairly.” The masses are the creators of society’s material and spiritual wealth and the decisive force in social change. Education, as an important part of social production and life, concerns the improvement of the people’s comprehensive quality and the all-round development of people, possessing the functional value of strengthening the people, enriching the people, and stabilizing the people. Building a strong educational system ultimately means running education that satisfies the people. At the 2018 National Education Conference, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the “nine adherences” [2]2 The “nine adherences” (九个坚持) refer to nine principles for education reform and development outlined by Xi Jinping in 2018, including adhering to the Party’s overall leadership over education and adhering to a people-centered approach to developing education. for education reform and development, one of which is “adhering to a people-centered approach to developing education,” deepening our Party’s understanding of the regularity of our country’s educational endeavors. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech at this National Education Conference further highlights the people’s attribute of education. The masses are not only the subjects who promote the realization of educational equity and share the achievements of educational development, but also the subjects who drive education to strengthen through quality and to improve through governance. We must respect the people’s principal position and pioneering spirit, draw wisdom and strength from the people’s creation for running, revitalizing, and strengthening education, and run education that satisfies the people.

习近平总书记强调：“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。”人民群众是社会物质财富和精神财富的创造者，是社会变革的决定力量。教育作为社会生产生活的重要部分，事关人民综合素质提高和人的全面发展，具有强民、富民、安民的功能价值。建设教育强国，最终是办好人民满意的教育。习近平总书记在2018年全国教育大会上提出了教育改革发展的“九个坚持”，其中之一就是“坚持以人民为中心发展教育”，深化了我们党对我国教育事业规律性认识。习近平总书记在这次全国教育大会上的重要讲话，进一步彰显了教育的人民属性。人民群众既是促进实现教育公平、共享教育发展成果的主体，更是推动教育以质图强、以治促强的主体，必须尊重人民主体地位和首创精神，从人民群众的创造中汲取办教、兴教、强教的智慧与力量，办好人民满意的教育。

On the new journey of the New Era, to firmly grasp the people’s attribute of education, we must deeply understand the changes in the principal contradiction in Chinese society, closely focus on the new requirements and expectations of the people’s growing needs for a better life for education reform and development, deepen comprehensive education reform around solving the people’s urgent, difficult, and anxious problems, further highlight the strategic position of education as a livelihood project and a popular sentiment project, continuously enhance the people’s sense of gain and happiness from education reform and development, and let the achievements of education reform and development benefit all the people more and more fairly. We must plan education from the height of “people’s free and all-round development,” promote the unity of people’s spiritual existence and material existence, and further highlight education’s strong concern for people’s all-round development. We must improve the mechanism for fostering virtue and nurturing people, perfect the comprehensive cultivation system for moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education, continuously enhance the pertinence and appeal of ideological and political courses, and form a higher-level talent cultivation system. We must comprehensively deepen quality education, accelerate the filling of shortcomings in physical, aesthetic, and labor education, and promote the healthy physical and mental growth of students. We must adhere to the principle of public welfare in education, take educational equity as the national basic education policy, and vigorously promote the reform and innovation of the education system. We must actively adapt to the situation of population changes, optimize the allocation of regional educational resources, and establish a basic public education service supply mechanism that coordinates with population changes. We must enable students with different endowments and different development interests to learn effectively and become talents in diverse ways. We must deeply implement the national education digitalization strategy, expand the coverage of high-quality educational resources, and improve the service level of lifelong learning.

新时代新征程，牢牢把握教育的人民属性，就要深刻把握我国社会主要矛盾的变化，紧紧围绕人民日益增长的美好生活需要对教育改革发展的新要求、新期待，围绕解决人民群众急难愁盼问题深化教育综合改革，更加彰显教育作为民生工程、民心工程的战略地位，持续增强人民群众对教育改革发展的获得感幸福感，让教育改革发展成果更多更公平惠及全体人民。要站在“人的自由而全面的发展”的高度谋划教育，推动实现人的精神存在与物质存在的统一，进一步彰显教育对人的全面发展的强烈观照。要完善立德树人机制，健全德智体美劳全面培养体系，不断提高思政课的针对性和感染力，形成更高水平的人才培养体系。要全面深化素质教育，加快补齐体育、美育和劳动教育短板，促进学生身心健康成长。要坚持教育公益性原则，把教育公平作为国家基本教育政策，大力推进教育体制改革创新。要主动适应人口变化形势，优化区域教育资源配置，建立同人口变化相协调的基本公共教育服务供给机制。要让不同禀赋、不同发展兴趣的学生能够有效地学习、多样化成才。要深入实施国家教育数字化战略，扩大优质教育资源受益面，提升终身学习公共服务水平。

Firmly Grasp the Strategic Attribute of Education, Revitalize Education Based on the Overall Situation

牢牢把握教育的战略属性，立足全局兴教育

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Education is the foundation of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.” Currently, driven by economic globalization and the information technology wave, the trend of social complexity and diversification is increasingly prominent, mobility and interactivity are continuously enhanced, and the connections between various fields of society are becoming increasingly close. The role and mission of education have far exceeded traditional categories, gradually becoming the cornerstone of talent cultivation, scientific and technological innovation, national prosperity, and civilizational progress, with an increasingly prominent position and role in the overall situation of economic and social development. At the same time, the pace of educational modernization is accelerating, the internal structure of educational development is becoming increasingly complex, organizational elements are constantly updated, and coupling and correlation are becoming closer. The coordinated advancement of education methods, school-running models, management systems, and guarantee mechanisms is imperative, and the systemic, holistic, and synergistic nature of education reform is increasingly prominent. Whether it is the layout and deployment of building a strong country or the internal logic of education reform and development, it requires that we must firmly grasp the strategic attribute of education, place the building of a strong educational system in the broader context of comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization for examination, thinking, planning, and advancement, effectively leverage the strategic attribute and development function of education, use the power of education to thicken the foundation of the people’s happiness, use the strength of education to consolidate the foundation of national prosperity, and provide strong support for comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

习近平总书记指出：“教育是强国建设、民族复兴之基。”当前，在经济全球化和信息化浪潮的驱动下，社会的复杂化多元化趋势不断凸显、流动性互动性不断增强，社会各领域联系日益紧密，教育的角色与使命已远远超出传统范畴，逐渐成为人才培养、科技创新、国家繁荣、文明进步的基石，在经济社会发展大局中的地位和作用越来越突出。同时，教育现代化步伐不断加快，教育发展内部结构日趋复杂、组织要素不断更新、耦合关联更加紧密，育人方式、办学模式、管理体制、保障机制的协同推进势在必行，教育改革的系统性、整体性、协同性日益凸显。无论是强国建设的布局落子，还是教育改革发展的内在逻辑，都要求必须牢牢把握教育的战略属性，把建设教育强国放到以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业的大背景下去审视思考、谋划推进，切实发挥教育的战略属性与发展功能，以教育之力厚植人民幸福之本，以教育之强夯实国家富强之基，为全面推进中华民族伟大复兴提供有力支撑。

On the new journey of the New Era, to firmly grasp the strategic attribute of education, we must look at education beyond education, base our view on the overall situation, and take a long-term perspective on education. We must deeply understand the fundamental, pioneering, and overarching position and role of education in serving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and clarify that building a strong educational country is the pioneering task, solid foundation, and strategic support for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. We must face the nation’s future and grasp the pioneering significance of building a strong educational country from the perspective of developmental sequencing. Education leads the future, nurtures opportunities, cultivates pillars of talent for building a strong country and national rejuvenation, accumulates development momentum, and opens new development paths, possessing distinct forward-looking and leading characteristics. Amid the accelerated evolution of changes unseen in a century and the accumulation of intertwined contradictions and risks, education is increasingly becoming an important means to meet future challenges and seize the high ground of future development. We must base ourselves on the strategic overall situation and grasp the foundational significance of building a strong educational country from the perspective of development conditions. Modernization is a complex project involving multiple fields, levels, and elements; it must lay a solid foundation and accumulate strength. Education is the foundation for cultivating talent, continuously playing an engine role in empowering technological innovation, leading cultural prosperity, and promoting economic development. It can provide a higher level of intellectual foundation, technological support, and talent support for modernization, and consolidate the foundation for cultivating the competitiveness, innovativeness, and sustainability of economic and social development. We must adhere to systematic thinking and grasp the supporting significance of building a strong educational country from the perspective of development coordination. Education is a major plan of the country and a major plan of the Party. For the improvement of science and technology, the cultivation of talent resources, and the stimulation of innovation capacity, education is the root and foundation. High-level education must play a supporting role in high-level scientific and technological innovation and high-quality talent cultivation.

新时代新征程，牢牢把握教育的战略属性，必须跳出教育看教育、立足全局看教育、着眼长远看教育，深刻理解教育在服务中华民族伟大复兴中的基础性、先导性、全局性地位和作用，明确建设教育强国是以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业的先导任务、坚实基础、战略支撑。要面向国家未来，从发展时序的角度把握教育强国建设的先导性意义。教育引领未来、孕育先机，为强国建设和民族复兴培养栋梁之材、积蓄发展动能、开辟发展新路，具有前瞻性、引领性的鲜明特点。在百年未有之大变局加速演变、矛盾风险交织积累的当下，教育日益成为应对未来挑战、抢占未来发展制高点的重要途径。要立足战略全局，从发展条件的角度把握教育强国建设的基础性意义。现代化建设是一项涉及多领域、多层次、多要素的复杂工程，必须夯基垒台、积厚成势。教育是培养人才的基础，持续发挥赋能科技创新、引领文化繁荣和推动经济发展的引擎作用，能够为现代化建设提供更高水平的智力基础、技术支撑和人才支撑，为培育经济社会发展竞争力、创新力、持续力固本强基。要坚持系统思维，从发展协同的角度把握教育强国建设的支撑性意义。教育是国之大计、党之大计，科技水平的提高、人才资源的涵养、创新能力的激发，教育是根本、是基础，必须以高水平的教育为高水平科技创新和高质量人才培养发挥支撑作用。

Implement the “Three Attributes” Effectively in Educational Practice

把“三大属性”切实落实到教育实践中

Firmly grasping the political attribute, people’s attribute, and strategic attribute of education is an important guiding principle that must be implemented in building a strong educational country, and it is also an important guiding principle that must be implemented in running schools, governing education, teaching, and nurturing people in the New Era. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The leading factor in building a strong educational country is higher education.” [3]3 Xi Jinping, speech at the National Education Conference, September 9–10, 2024. As important bases for knowledge inheritance and innovation, high grounds for scientific and technological innovation, and high grounds for gathering first-class talent, universities must firmly grasp the political attribute, people’s attribute, and strategic attribute of education, ensuring that university development aligns and resonates with the national development strategy and the people’s aspiration for a better life.

牢牢把握教育的政治属性、人民属性、战略属性，是建设教育强国必须贯彻的重要指导原则，也是新时代办学治校、教书育人必须贯彻的重要指导原则。习近平总书记指出：“建设教育强国，龙头是高等教育。”高校作为知识传承和创新的重要基地、科学技术的创新高地、一流人才的富集高地，要牢牢把握教育的政治属性、人民属性、战略属性，确保高校发展与国家的发展战略、人民的美好生活向往同心同向、同频共振。

On the new journey, Renmin University of China will always bear in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions, deeply study, publicize, and implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Party and the spirit of the National Education Conference, strengthen the educational confidence and educational responsibility of running the school politically, running the school for the people, and revitalizing the school through development, clearly embody the political attribute, people’s attribute, and strategic attribute of education in practice, and take the lead, concentrate efforts to overcome difficulties, and blaze new trails toward the strategic goal of building a strong educational country. First, bear in mind the original aspiration and founding mission and forever maintain the true character of Renmin University. We will always adhere to the Party’s overall leadership, uphold the spiritual character of “the Party-run university reassures the Party, the people’s university lives up to the people,” raise the political stance, and integrate the Party’s overall leadership into the entire process of governing the Party, running the school, and governing education. Second, adhere to putting the people first and cultivate first-class talent. We will be committed to fostering virtue through education, focus on using successful cases from the great transformations of the New Era, vigorously promote the construction of “golden courses” in ideological and political education and the integrated construction of ideological and political education in universities, middle schools, and primary schools, and strive to cultivate generation after generation of “pillars of rejuvenation and pioneers of a strong country” who are capable and reliable in socialist modernization. Strengthen the construction of basic disciplines, emerging disciplines, and interdisciplinary disciplines, and the cultivation of top-notch talent, continuously enhance the ability to independently cultivate, attract, and gather high-level talent, and cultivate and strengthen the national strategic talent force. Third, adhere to being unique and serve the national strategy. We will continue to shoulder the mission of being “unique” in the field of humanities and social sciences, focus on improving innovation capacity, accelerate the construction of an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences with the mainstay of identifying concepts and original theories of various disciplines, promote the true establishment of Chinese philosophy and social sciences in the world academic forest, and contribute wisdom and strength to the comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country.

新征程上，中国人民大学将始终牢记习近平总书记的重要嘱托，深入学习宣传贯彻党的二十届三中全会精神和全国教育大会精神，坚定政治立校、为民办校、发展兴校的教育自信与教育担当，在实践中鲜明体现教育的政治属性、人民属性、战略属性，朝着建成教育强国的战略目标示范先行、聚力攻坚、勇闯新路。一是牢记初心使命、永葆人大本色。我们将始终坚持党的全面领导，坚守“党办的大学让党放心、人民的大学不负人民”的精神品格，提高政治站位，把党的全面领导融入管党治党、办学治校全过程。二是坚持人民至上、培养一流人才。我们将矢志立德树人，注重运用新时代伟大变革成功案例，大力推进思政“金课”和大中小学思想政治教育一体化建设，着力培养一代又一代在社会主义现代化建设中可堪大用、能担重任的“复兴栋梁、强国先锋”。加强基础学科、新兴学科、交叉学科建设和拔尖人才培养，不断提升自主培养、吸引集聚高层次人才的能力，培育壮大国家战略人才力量。三是坚持独树一帜、服务国家战略。我们将继续扛牢人文社会科学领域“独树一帜”的使命担当，着眼提高创新能力，加快构建以各学科标识性概念、原创性理论为主干的中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系，推动中国特色哲学社会科学真正屹立于世界学术之林，为全面建设社会主义现代化国家贡献智慧和力量。

[The authors are respectively the Party Secretary and President of Renmin University of China]

【作者分别为中国人民大学党委书记、校长】

Online Editor: Ma Jingren

网络编辑：马京仁