Strategy for invigorating China through science and education

Strategy for invigorating China through science and education

In 1977, after the ending of the Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping pointed out, "China must catch up with the most advanced countries in the world. But how shall we go about it? I believe we have to begin by tackling science and education." He said this at a forum on work in science and education, and demanded the Party committees and governments at all levels to attach importance to the work in science and education.

The strategy for invigorating China through science and education was unveiled by the Party Central Committee and the State Council at the National Conference on Science and Technology in May 1995. It has been enriched with the infusion of new insights contained in a series of policies rolled out in the past 20 years, including the Ninth Five-year Plan and Vision 2010. It is highlighted in the report to the 19th CPC National Congress as one of the seven strategies for completing the building of a moderately prosperous society, and incorporates new directives that respond to today's new challenges.

The strategy for invigorating China through science and education is guided by the thinking that science and technology is a primary source of productivity growth. It emphasizes the importance of education and science and technology in promoting economic and social development, and the need for strengthened capacity building in science and technology and for expanded application of science and technology to productivity growth, so as to increase the contribution of science and technology to the economy. The strategy also aims to raise public awareness and understanding of science and technology, as part of the effort to increase the reliance of economic development on science and technology and to promote human development, a move that helps accelerate China's march toward greater prosperity.

This strategy relies on education. The key to its successful implementation is the development of science and technology. To ensure that science and technology plays its due role in economic development, it is essential to promote the development of education and science and technology.

To this end, further institutional reform is necessary in education and in the field of science and technology, and better alignment is called for between education and science and technology on one hand and the economy in general on the other. Science and technology initiatives should be better geared toward economic development, and focus more on tackling urgent issues that bear on economic development. Education should be oriented toward our modernization drive and toward the future, with greater openness to the outside world. Structural reform in education should proceed in tandem with measures to rationalize resource allocation, so as to improve education quality and efficiency and to ensure that education better serves the economy.

科教兴国战略

早在1977年“文化大革命”刚结束时，邓小平同志就提出：“我们国家要赶上世界先进水平，从何着手呢?我想，要从科学和教育着手。”想，要从年，在全国科技工作会议和全国教育工作会议上，邓小平同志要求各级党委和政府重视教育和科技工作。1995年5月，中共中央、国务院召开全国科学技术大会，决定在全国实施科教兴国战略。20多年以来，“九五”计划、2010年远景目标等一系列重大决策部署不断赋予其新内涵。党的十九大报告更是将科教兴国战略确定为决胜全面建成小康社会需要坚定实施的七大战略之一，“科教兴国”被赋予新的时代内涵。科教兴国战略就是在“科学技术是第一生产力思想”的指导下，坚持教育为本，把科技和教育摆在经济、社会发展的重要位置，增强国家的科技实力和科学技术向现实生产力转化的能力，提高科技对经济的贡献率，提高全民族的科技文化素质，把经济建设转移到依靠科技进步和提高劳动者素质的轨道上来，加速实现国家的繁荣昌盛。

科教兴国战略，基础在教育，关键在科技。实施科教兴国战略，既要充分发挥科技和教育在兴国中的作用，又要努力培植科技和教育这个兴国的基础。实施科教兴国战略，必须深化科技和教育体制改革，促进科技、教育同经济的结合。科技工作必须自觉面向经济建设主战场，将攻克国民经济发展中迫切需要解决的关键问题作为主要任务；教育工作要面向现代化、面向世界、面向未来，优化教育结构，改革教育体制，合理配置资源，提高教育质量和办学效益，使教育与经济紧密结合起来。