Speech at the Graduation Ceremony of the Summer Training Class for Primary School Teachers in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region[1]

(August 29, 1939)

At present, the tasks of the entire Chinese nation are: first, to persist in the War of Resistance and oppose capitulation; second, to persist in unity and oppose splitting; third, to persist in progress and oppose retrogression. Education for the War of Resistance occupies an important position in the War of Resistance. Education for the War of Resistance consists, first, of running schools—running primary schools, middle schools, and universities; second, of social education, setting up night schools, promoting literacy campaigns, and so on. Teachers should learn in the course of their work, should learn from their students, and learn from the common people. In education for the War of Resistance, the unity of knowing and doing is a matter of great importance. Tao Xingzhi[2] advocates the unity of knowing and doing, promotes life education, and unifies teaching, learning, and doing. In Marxist terms, this is the unity of theory and practice. At present, there is still one part missing from our textbooks, and that is life education.

[1] This is part of Mao Zedong’s speech at the graduation ceremony of the summer training class for primary school teachers in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region.

[2] Tao Xingzhi, educator and patriotic democratic personage.