Instructions on Education
(May 17, 1953)

Source: Jiaoyu geming, 4 (May 6, 1967), 3, Other Chinese Text: Jiaoyu
yulu, p. 12 (excerpt). Available English Translations: P. Seybolt (1973), p. 15 (quotations); Chinese Soviology and Anthropology, W:1-2 (Fall/Winter 1969-70), 29 (indirect
quotation).

According tw our source, these instructions were issued at a Political Bureau meeting.

In order to run the schools well, we must first of all resolve the problem of
the backbone of the leadership in the schools. . .,

Once you have a strong principal, good teachers will be produced...
in By pedagogical reform we mean the reform in the contents of education und

teaching methods, Therefore we ought to revise the teaching materials and
ompile (manuals on| pedagogical methodology. . .

In primary school education, labor education ought to be emphasized. . ..
ed document concerning the system of five-year primary school

“ulum] is not bad...’
© must develop the schools with all sorts of diverse methods; we must not
Ist on uniformity. .

my schools that are run by the people [themselves] ought to be
lowed?

t/doc KAA
Notes

1, We do not know which document is referred to here: In (951 the PRC began to resin
the education system. One angement propesed al the time Was ital the previously existing pe
educution syste). whieh consisted of a six-veur curriculury broken up lute we levels (Le, |
Primary school and senior primury school), made it difficult for laboring class children yu ¢
plete the curneulim, On August 10, 1951, at the 07th Session of the Government Admutian
Council, a resoluting was passed fo refer the cdueatinn system, and one reform had to de
reorgunizing primary education inte # five-year single-level (ew wlan vi gaan! curricula
the resolution see RMSC (1952), pp, 450-453.) In 1954, however, the system reverted to thew
lier six-year, two-fevel Quriculum thnouyh the resolution passed at the }9Sds session of (hel
ernment Administration Council on November 26, 1953. (See RMSC [1955], pp. 375-5771
again, duntip the Cultural Revolution, and expecially after the tequance of Mao's “supreme gf
fives" o@ reforming ihe education systeot in favor of a sherter curriculum. the PRC id ty
more to the five-year system), [1 is possible, though by nd-means proven, that Moo wet referry
the report made by Qian Junrui, vice-miinister of Education, at the conference on the adminis
tion of primary and middie schools held on August 2-10. 1952. In this speech Qian emp
the five-year primary schoo! curriculum but alse touched on many of the other issues
by Muo here. See RMSC (1953), p. 406,

2. The last three comments here were directed against.Xi Zhongxun, deputy Cireetor ff
Commies on Culture and Education of the Government Adniinistritive Council, Xi was
ally opposed to pedagogical reform, and Spe