Elucidating Principles, Infusing Love, and Practicing Earnestly to Continuously Enhance the Leading Role of Ideological and Political Education in Higher Education

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the 2024 National Education Conference, “The education powerhouse we aim to build is a socialist education powerhouse with Chinese characteristics, which should possess a strong leading role in ideological and political education, talent competitiveness, scientific and technological support, people’s livelihood security, social synergy, and international influence, providing robust support for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization.” Among these “six forces,” the leading role in ideological and political education ranks first, highlighting the guiding function of ideological and political work in building an education powerhouse. Facing the new journey of building an education powerhouse, enhancing the leading role of ideological and political education in higher education should actively explore effective pathways from three aspects: elucidating principles, infusing love, and practicing earnestly.

习近平总书记在2024年全国教育大会上指出，“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，为以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业提供有力支撑”。在“六力”中，思政引领力居于首位，凸显思政工作在教育强国建设中的引领性作用。面对教育强国建设新征程，提升高校思政引领力，应从讲理、融爱、力行三个方面积极探索有效路径。

Elucidating Principles Is the Key

讲清理是关键

Principles refer to fundamental tenets, academic theories, and moral truths. To enhance the leading role of ideological and political education, the first step is to elucidate principles: clarify the fundamental tenets of Marxism, deeply explain the basic academic theories of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and effectively teach the basic moral truths of conducting oneself, pursuing learning, and handling affairs.

理是原理、学理和道理。提升思政引领力，首先要讲清理，讲清马克思主义的基本原理、讲深习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的基本学理、讲好为人为学为事的基本道理。

Clarify the fundamental tenets contained in Marxism as the guiding ideology. Clarifying theory aims to arm university students’ minds with the fundamental tenets of Marxism, guiding them to uphold a firm belief in Marxism and a steadfast conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics, moving from theoretical confidence to conscious action. Ideological and political courses should clearly explain the essentials of the fundamental tenets of Marxism, including major propositions such as why Marxism is scientific, why Marxism suits China’s national conditions, and how to develop Marxism in practice. Ideological and political workers should play a leading role, guiding university students from a high vantage point and in simple terms to read original works, study original texts, and comprehend principles, truly learning, understanding, believing, and applying Marxism.

讲清马克思主义作为指导思想蕴含的基本原理。讲清理论是为了用马克思主义基本原理武装大学生头脑，引导他们坚持对马克思主义的坚定信仰、对中国特色社会主义的坚定信念，从理论上的自信走向行动上的自觉。思政课要讲清楚马克思主义基本原理的要义，包括马克思主义为什么是科学、马克思主义为什么适合中国国情、如何在实践中发展马克思主义等重大命题。思政工作者要发挥主导作用，高屋建瓴、深入浅出地引导大学生读原著学原文悟原理，真学真懂真信真用马克思主义。

Deeply explain the basic academic theories contained in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is the ideological banner and spiritual flag of the Communist Party of China in the New Era, a scientific system that is logically rigorous, rich in content, systematic, comprehensive, and profound. Ideological and political workers should faithfully, comprehensively, and accurately explain the basic viewpoints, developmental脉络 [1]1 脉络 (mailuo) — literally “veins and arteries,” a common Chinese metaphor for the logical thread or developmental trajectory of a system of thought., and scientific system of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, guiding university students to perceive the practical power of the Party’s innovative theories, continuously enhance their political, ideological, theoretical, and emotional identification with the Party’s innovative theories, and strengthen their confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

讲深习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想蕴含的基本学理。习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想是新时代中国共产党的思想旗帜和精神旗帜，是一个逻辑严密、内涵丰富、系统全面、博大精深的科学体系。思政工作者要原原本本、全面准确地讲好习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的基本观点、发展脉络、科学体系，引导大学生感悟党的创新理论的实践伟力，不断增进对党的创新理论的政治认同、思想认同、理论认同、情感认同，坚定中国特色社会主义道路自信、理论自信、制度自信、文化自信。

Effectively teach the moral truths of conducting oneself, pursuing learning, and handling affairs. Currently, the fields and methods of university students’ activities have undergone profound changes, with the internet becoming the main carrier for students to obtain information and exchange ideas. Ideological and political workers should actively integrate into youth, using teaching methods that university students enjoy and teaching content close to reality to effectively teach the life truths of conducting oneself, pursuing learning, and handling affairs, guiding them to establish a correct worldview, outlook on life, and value system.

讲好为人为学为事的道理。当前，大学生活动场域和方式发生深刻变化，网络成为大学生获取信息、交流思想的主要载体。思政工作者要主动融入青年，用大学生喜闻乐见的教学方式、贴近实际的教学内容，讲好为人为学为事的人生道理，引导他们树立正确的世界观、人生观、价值观。

Infusing Love Reveals Genuine Emotion

浸润爱显真情

Love refers to care, passion, and great love, and is the starting point and destination of all education. To enhance the leading role of ideological and political education, one must care for youth to guide their growth and success, persistently ignite their endogenous motivation with passion, and cultivate great love to inspire them to devote themselves to the great cause of building a strong country.

爱是关爱、热爱和大爱，是一切教育的出发点和归宿。提升思政引领力，要关爱青年以引领其成长成才，执着热爱以点燃其内生动力，涵养大爱以激励其投身强国伟业。

Warm care. The prerequisite for care is understanding; one must accurately understand the reasonable needs of university students, combining face-to-face communication with students and “key-to-key” dialogue [2]2 “Key-to-key” dialogue — a pun on the Chinese phrase “键对键” (jian dui jian), meaning communication via keyboards (i.e., online or digital interaction), contrasted with “面对面” (face-to-face)., integrating interviews with students and approaching students. Ideological and political work can be carried out in the fields most familiar to students, such as building a “one-stop comprehensive community” integrating academic guidance, heart-to-heart talks, psychological counseling, and other functions, bringing ideological guidance and service care to students’ side.

温暖关爱。关爱的前提是了解，要准确了解大学生的合理需求，将与学生“面对面”的交流和“键对键”的对话相结合，把约谈学生与走进学生相结合。思政工作可以在学生最熟悉的场域展开，如构建集学业辅导、谈心谈话、心理咨询等多功能于一体的“一站式综合社区”，将思想引领和服务关爱送到学生身边。

Ignite passion. Passion is the subjective and active desire for “what I want to do,” rather than the passively imposed “what you should do”; it is a deep-seated, sustained endogenous motivation. Love in ideological and political work means touching soul with soul, awakening students’ dormant potential silently, stimulating their surging endogenous power, and achieving transcendence and sublimation in thought and behavior. Ideological and political workers should fully tap into students’ endogenous motivation, build trust through emotional exchange, spiritual collision, and family-like interaction, stimulate their thirst for knowledge and creativity, and guide them to be down-to-earth and forge ahead courageously.

点燃热爱。热爱是主观能动地渴望“我想做什么”，而不是被动施加的“你应该做什么”，是一种深层次的、持续的内生动力。思政工作中的爱，是以灵魂触动灵魂，于无声处唤醒学生沉睡之潜能，激发内生蓬勃动力，实现思想和行为上的超越和升华。思政工作者要充分挖掘学生内生动力，在情感交流、心灵碰撞、亲情互动中建立信任，激发他们的求知欲和创造力，引导其脚踏实地、勇毅前行。

Cultivate great love. Great love is the patriotic sentiment of dedicating oneself to serving the country, and the life orientation of firmly following the Party’s leadership. Cultivating great love can be achieved in classroom learning or through immersive experiences. Cultivating great love can guide students to uplift their spirits and clarify their direction in situational and experiential environments; it can also invite outstanding alumni and industry leaders to campus, using people and stories around them to inspire students; attention should also be paid to campus cultural construction, allowing red culture to permeate every moment and detail of campus life, enabling students to be deeply influenced imperceptibly.

涵养大爱。大爱是许身报国的家国情怀，是坚定听党话跟党走的人生取向。涵养大爱可以在课堂学习中实现，也可以在沉浸式体验中实现。涵养大爱，可引导学生在情境式、体验式的环境中提振精神、明确方向；也可邀请杰出校友、行业领军人物等走进校园，用身边人、身边事激励学生；还应注重校园文化建设，让红色文化浸润在校园里的时时处处、点点滴滴，让学生在潜移默化中深受感染。

Practicing Earnestly to Promote Practical Results

以力行促实效

Practice refers to behavior and action, and is the foothold of education. To enhance the leading role of ideological and political education, efforts should focus on building a grand ideological and political education system, guiding students to promote practice through knowledge and promote knowledge through practice, achieving the unity of knowledge and action.

行是行为、行动，是教育的落脚点。提升思政引领力，应着力构建大思政育人体系，引导学生以知促行、以行促知，做到知行合一。

Guide students to practice personally. Ideological and political courses should not only be taught in the classroom but also in social life. This is a requirement for the field of ideological and political courses and also for their narrative methods. Ideological and political workers should systematically plan and carefully design themed practical activities, guiding university students to measure the motherland’s land with their steps, discover the Chinese spirit with their eyes, listen to the people’s voices with their ears, and feel the pulse of the times with their hearts, comprehending truth, tempering character, and enhancing literacy in practice.

引导学生身体力行。思政课不仅应该在课堂上讲，也应该在社会生活中讲。这是对思政课场域的要求，也是对思政课叙事方法的要求。思政工作者要系统谋划、精心设计主题实践活动，引导大学生用脚步丈量祖国大地，用眼睛发现中国精神，用耳朵倾听人民呼声，用内心感受时代脉搏，在实践中感悟真理、锤炼品格、提升素养。

Teach content by following the trend. Trend refers to the international and domestic situation, the state of social development, and the direction of industry development. Ideological and political workers can move the classroom to the forefront of industries and the front line of markets, allowing students to find gaps and make up for shortcomings through internships and practical training; they can promote school-local and school-enterprise integration, exploring models such as “internship + research” and “job shadowing + visits,” allowing teachers and students to feel the pulse of science and technology up close; they can rely on internship and practice bases to enable students to participate in the front-line work of the country’s major undertakings. Through a series of measures, what students learn can be applied in practice, their innovative abilities can be strengthened in practice, and their ideals and sentiments can be enlivened in practice.

内容讲授顺势而行。势是国际国内形势、社会发展态势以及行业发展走势。思政工作者可以将课堂搬到行业前沿与市场前线，让学生在实习实训中找差距、补短板；可以推进校地、校企融合，探索“实习+调研”“跟岗+寻访”等模式，让师生零距离感受科技脉搏；可以依托实习实践基地，让学生参与到国家大事业的一线工作中。通过系列举措，让学生所学在实践中用起来，让创新能力在实践中强起来，让理想情怀在实践中活起来。

Actively carry out volunteer activities. The essence of volunteer service is dedication, and the result is altruism. Carrying out volunteer service activities can guide university students to combine their learned knowledge and personal skills to participate in organized community services, civilized etiquette services, and services delivering warmth and love, deepening their understanding of social conditions and public opinion, the spirit of volunteerism, and the responsibilities of the era and historical mission, cultivating feelings for the country and the people, cultivating responsibility for the era and society, honing true skills in volunteer service, and becoming strivers who unify knowledge and action.

积极开展志愿活动。志愿服务本质是奉献，结果是利他。开展志愿服务活动，可以引导大学生结合所学知识与自身技能，有组织地参与社区服务、文明风尚服务、送温暖献爱心服务等，加深其对社情民意的了解，对志愿者精神的认识，对时代责任与历史使命的认知，培养对国家、对人民的感情，培养对时代、对社会的责任，在志愿服务中磨炼真本领，做知行合一的奋斗者。

(Author: Liu Jiamei, Deputy Party Secretary of the School of Cyber Science and Engineering, Wuhan University, and doctoral student at the School of Marxism)

（作者：刘嘉梅，系武汉大学国家网络安全学院党委副书记、马克思主义学院博士生）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧