On February 23, the 2022 Dewang High-end Forum on Basic Education, sponsored by the Ministry of Education of Fujian Province and Fujian Normal University (FNU), was held at Qishan Campus, FNU. Leaders and distinguished guests attended the ceremony, including Mr. Zhu Zhiwen, Deputy Director of the Textbook and Sports Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, President of the Chinese Society of Education and former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Chang Bin, Vice Governor of Fujian Provincial People's Government, Mr. Cao Degan, former Vice Governor of Fujian Provincial People's Government and former Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, Mr. Lv Yugang, Director of the Department of Basic Education, Mr. Ren Youqun, Director of the Department of Teachers' Work, Mr. Wang Hui, former Director of the Department of College Students, Mr. Lin Heping, Director of Fujian Provincial Department of Education, Secretary of Party Committee of FNU, Mr. Pan Yuteng, Secretary of the Party Committee of FNU, and Mr. Wang Changping, President of FNU. The ceremony was chaired by Director Lin Heping.
On behalf of the People's Government of Fujian Province, Vice Governor Chang Bin expressed warm congratulations on the success of the forum, and highly appreciated the Heren Charitable Foundation's donation to support the joint establishment of the Dewang Basic Education Research Institute and the measures to help the reform and development of basic education. He presented the fruits that the whole province has achieved by keeping in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping’s words -- promoting the reform and development of education, especially basic education. Three hopes were made: First, we should focus on foster virtues through education to cultivate a new generation of great national rejuvenation, so as to build a solid foundation on which a strong province in the field of education can be built at an early date. The second is to highlight educational fairness, deepen the three struggles action, and accelerate the construction of high-quality basic education, so as to write the era of education that satisfies the people. Third, we should adhere to reform and innovation and continue to deepen comprehensive reform. In a new time, we should fully extend the capacity of teachers in basic education by applying the advantages provided by Dewang Basic Education Institute and increase the enthusiasm for the high-quality development of basic education.
Mr. Zhu Zhiwen said that the establishment of Dewang Basic Education Research Institute has brought together government departments, social organizations and universities to jointly commit to reform and development of regional basic education. It is a major measure to improve the development level of basic education in the new era and accelerate the high-quality development of basic education. It is hoped that the institute will improve its position, be high-end, problem oriented, long-term focused and more grounded. It can turn into an cradle to cultivate teachers in regional basic education, a base to conduct educational scientific research and a think tank to carry out the education decisionmaking, and a platform to facilitate Fujian-Taiwan cooperation.
Mr. Cao Degan reviewed the process of the establishment and operation of Dewang Basic Education Research Institute with affection, and hoped that the Institute would keep in mind the ardent entrustment of General Secretary Xi Jinping on running basic education well. It is required to practice problem-centered and in-depth exploration and practice so as to be a source for reform and development of fundamental education, a storehouse for training teachers and principals of high quality and a thinking center for building and developing primary and secondary schools.
The headmaster, Mr. Lv Yugang expressed warm congratulatory sentiments about the actual working of the Dewang Institute of Basic Education. He stressed that we should conscientiously implement the important principles of Basic Education proposed on the 20th CPC National Congress -- to train talents for the Party and the country, to hold comprehensive planning with priorities, to maintain universal benefits, and to sustain justice and stimulate innovation. We shall build up a high-quality and balanced system of basic public education services, an all-round education system of moral, intellectual, physical and aesthetic education, a development system of highly qualified and professional teachers, a strategic support system for the digitisation of education, a development-oriented scientific quality assessment system, and a vibrant liberal education system, so that we can attain a higher basic education quality.
Director Ren Youqun put forward three expectations for the construction of the teaching team in Fujian: The first is to build a modern governance system for the construction of teaching staff by exploring the comprehensive reform of the construction of the teaching staff and coordinating efforts of universities, local governments, and primary and secondary schools to jointly carry out the comprehensive reform of the construction of the teaching staff. The second is to further strengthen the construction of the teacher education system. Investment should be increased in teacher training and teacher education institutions should be well-built and strong. Reforming teachers' education should be explored, the system of teacher training post-service should be improved, and support services for teacher development should be strengthened. The third is promoting digital transformation of the construction of teaching and education personnel, implementing a digital strategy in education, strengthening artificial intelligence--building of teaching and education personnel, utilizing information technology, accelerating teaching transformation and learning transformation.
In addition, secretary Pan Yuteng also said that the school will take forums and physical functions of the institute as an opportunity to carry out the provincial work plan, which is under the guidance of the provincial education department and supported by the Heren Charitable Foundation, striving to make the Institute the main position of regional basic education teacher training, the power source of reform and innovation, and the think tank of educational decision-making, so as to make a new and greater contribution to the speedy completion of a high-quality education system and the modernization of education in Fujian.
At the opening ceremony, the leaders and guests witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements between the institute and the Chinese Society of Education, Peking University, Tsinghua University, East China Normal University, and the education bureaus of Xiamen, Longyan, and Ningde.
After the inaugural ceremony, a ceremony was held to establish the first research center, appoint the first cohort of researchers, and launch the first research project in the field of education organized by the Dewang Institute of Basic Education. During the keynotes sessions, Gu Mingyuan, the honorary president of the Chinese Society of Education, Ye Lan, the tenured professor at East China Normal University, and Yu Wensen, the director of the basic curriculum research center of Fujian Normal University, Ministry of Education, were invited to give speeches, entitled The Mission and Responsibility of Basic Education in the New Era, Important Things, Big Things, Difficult Things, and Innovation of Teaching Reform in China Based on the New Curriculum, respectively.
This high-end forum focused on the mission and responsibility of basic education in the new era, and faced hot and difficult issues in the field. Through one main forum and eight parallel forums, which have been successfully held on December 30, 2022, experts jointly research on the reform and development of basic education online and offline. The forum brought together well-known experts and scholars from universities and research institutions, famous teachers and principals of basic education, front-line teachers of primary and secondary schools, education administrators, and achieved fruitful results.
(Translated by Liu Wenjin/ Reviewed by Chen Fang)