China targets primary schools in drive to instill love for Communist Party in children
Elementary school students draw a picture on International Children's Day in Handan in China's northern Hebei province, June 1. AFP-Yonhap
Primary and middle school children in China are to be targeted in new campaigns to nurture patriotism and love for the Communist Party.
President Xi Jinping recently told a meeting of a policy implementation group known as the Central Comprehensively Deepening Reforms Commission that the party should take on a greater leadership role in schools to ensure "political criteria and requirements" are met.
According to state news agency Xinhua, the order means that, while head teachers would retain overall responsibility, party organs will have a tight grip on "ideological and political work".
The promotion of "socialist core values", the "revolutionary tradition" and "red gene" will be integrated with the school curriculum.
Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at the School of African and Oriental Studies in London, said it "would make sense for [Xi] to push hard to get all the younger generations to embrace Xi Jinping Thought" after a meeting of the top leadership last month adopted a resolution on party history that put him on a par with Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.
The motion adopted by the Central Committee's Sixth Plenum sets the stage for next year's sweeping leadership reshuffle and paves the way for a legacy-defining third term for Xi.
"This is meant to be a continuing process that will groom generations of Chinese to embrace Xi Jinping Thought or 'Chinese socialism' as Xi interprets it, so that they will all defend Xi's leadership as he moves from his second term to an unprecedented third term, the transition of which will effectively remove barriers for him to stay in power indefinitely," Tsang said.
Primary school students arrive on the first day of the new term in Beijing, Sept. 1. AFP-Yonhap
As of last year, there were 210,000 public primary and middle schools around the country, with 156 million pupils, according to figures from the Ministry of Education. Almost a third of the 10 million teachers at these schools are Communist Party members.
Chinese morality, the legal system, core socialist values and party history are already essential components of the education system, and in September the authorities issued a new series of textbooks for all pupils to explain Xi Jinping Thought On Socialism With Chinese Characteristics for the New Era.
The new textbooks, tailored for each age group, will be adopted across the nation from next year.
Joey Chen, mother of a six-year-old in Beijing, said her son already had to take several ideological classes.
"Apart from the course 'ethics and law', my child and his classmates have to recite 'socialist core values' from day one in school," Chen said.
"Also, they have to listen to stories told by their teachers or headmaster about martyrs or party history once a week. There are also various events to promote patriotism from time to time."
In 2012, the party decided to promote 12 "socialist core values", which it defined as prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, the rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity and friendship.
"I advocate patriotism. But the kids are too young to understand these abstract concepts. I think they spend too much time on these," Chen said.
"While his teachers sometimes replace ideology classes with Chinese or maths, I think they won't dare to do so in the future under the tightened scrutiny of the party."
China is soliciting public opinion on a draft revision of a Teachers Law that first took effect in 1994.
The law currently states that a teacher's role is to educate students and "be loyal to the people", but the revised version says they must "educate people for the party".
New rules adopted at the start of the school year will see around 150,000 "education supervisors" sent to schools to ensure teachers implement the central government and party's policies. The supervisors can ask schools to discipline teachers or even refer them to the police or supervisory authorities.
"Reinforcing the party's role in schools will result in heavier scrutiny of education content and teachers' behavior," Chen Daoyin, an independent political analyst and former professor at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.
"It will help ensure Xi Jinping Thought is fully indoctrinated through the whole process of teaching and in all subjects, influencing the younger generations when they are forming values."