The policy of higher teacher education during the Republic of China period was an important part of China's higher education. During this period, higher teacher education developed rapidly and became one of the important pillars of modern higher education in China. This paper will explore the development and characteristics of higher teacher education policy during the Republic of China period, and its impact on modern higher education in China.
Higher teacher education policy
Higher teacher education during the Republic of China period experienced the development from the end of the Qing Dynasty to the early years of the establishment of the Republic of China, as well as the baptism of war and turmoil. During this period, Chinese society underwent tremendous changes, and the field of education was no exception. At that time, the normal school was greatly developed to meet the needs of society for teachers. At the same time, the normal schools of this period were also influenced by Western educational trends, and began to pay attention to educational practice and the cultivation of students' practical ability.
During the Republican period, the government regulated and guided the development of higher teacher education by formulating relevant laws and regulations. For example, the Regulations of Normal Schools, enacted in 1928, stipulate that the duration of normal schools is four years, and students should be under the age of twenty, and they should obtain a bachelor's degree after graduation. In addition, the government has formulated regulations such as the Regulations on the Qualification of Principals of Normal Schools, which regulate and require managers of higher teacher education.
During the Republican period, the government began to increase funding for higher teacher education to support the development of teacher education. For example, the Regulations on Funding for Education, promulgated in 1929, stipulate that the proportion of education expenditure in teacher training schools shall not be less than 20 per cent of the total education expenditure. At the same time, the government also guarantees the development of normal schools by providing them with land and tax exemptions.
At the same time, the government has also begun to pay attention to the construction of teachers in higher teacher education. The government has improved the level of teachers in higher teacher education by sending teachers abroad for further study and recruiting foreign teachers. In addition, the government has also formulated regulations such as the Regulations on the Qualification of Teachers in Normal Schools, which regulate and require teachers in higher teacher education.
The development of higher teacher education policy during the Republican period went through three stages. The first phase was between 1912 and 1927, when higher teacher education was mainly administered by the Ministry of Education, with the goal of training teachers for secondary education and social services. The second phase was between 1927 and 1937, a period in which higher teacher education gradually developed towards specialization and comprehensiveness, with the goal of producing educators with high academic standards and professional skills.
The third stage was from 1937 to 1949, when the development of higher teacher education was affected by wars and natural disasters, but it still adhered to the direction of serving secondary education and society, and at the same time began to send students abroad, promoting educational exchanges between China and the world.
Characteristics of higher teacher education policy during the Republic of China
Emphasis on teachers: The policy of higher teacher education during the Republic of China emphasized the nature of teachers, that is, emphasized the professionalism and academic nature of higher teacher education, the purpose of which was to cultivate educators with profound academic skills and professional skills. Students of higher teacher education are required to receive a wide range of academic education, including natural sciences, social sciences, humanities and other fields. At the same time, higher teacher education also emphasizes practical education, and students need to receive practical and other relevant practical education to acquire practical application skills.
Emphasis on comprehensiveness: The policy of higher teacher education during the Republic of China also emphasized comprehensiveness, that is, emphasizing the multidisciplinary and comprehensive nature of higher teacher education, and its purpose was to cultivate educators with interdisciplinary vision and comprehensive ability. Students in higher teacher education are required to receive an education in multiple subject areas and emphasize interdisciplinary intersection and integration so that students can better understand the nature and practical application of the discipline.
Emphasis on serving the society: The policy of higher teacher education during the Republic of China also emphasized serving the society, that is, emphasizing the practicality and social responsibility of higher teacher education, and its purpose was to cultivate educators with a sense of social responsibility and practical skills to better serve the society and improve the social situation. Students in higher teacher education need to receive social service education to enhance their sense of social responsibility and service capacity.
Curriculum: The curriculum of higher teacher education during the Republic of China period reflects the requirements of educational purposes and pays attention to the combination of theory and practice. On the theoretical side, higher teacher education emphasizes the mastery of basic knowledge; In terms of practice, higher teacher education focuses on the cultivation of educational practice and teaching practice, and students need to exercise teaching skills and management ability in actual teaching.
In addition, higher teacher education also pays attention to the setting of elective courses in subjects to cultivate students' individual development. Students can choose different elective courses according to their interests and career development direction to improve their professional quality.
Teacher team building: The construction of the teacher team in higher teacher education was one of the educational policies in this period. In order to improve the teaching quality of higher teacher education, the Government has taken a series of measures, such as recruiting excellent teachers, improving the remuneration of teachers, and strengthening teacher training.
The Government has also formulated the Measures for the Training of Teachers in Normal Schools, which stipulates the basic requirements that teachers in normal schools should have, such as academic requirements, teaching experience, political ideology and so on. These measures have effectively improved the quality of teachers in higher teacher education and ensured the quality of education.
School management: Higher teacher education during the Republic of China implemented an autonomous system, and school management was jointly responsible for the student self-government association and the teachers' self-government association. The Student Government Association is responsible for the daily management of students and the work of the Student Union, and the Teachers' Government Association is responsible for teacher management and student teaching supervision.
In addition, the government has also participated in the management and development of higher teacher education, formulating corresponding rules and regulations, such as the Outline of the Organization of the National Higher Normal School, which clearly stipulates the institutional set-up, division of responsibilities and financial management of higher teacher education.
The influence of higher teacher education policy on modern higher education in China during the Republican period
Promote the development of secondary education: Higher teacher education during the Republic of China period provided strong support for the development of secondary education, trained a large number of excellent teachers, and promoted the development of secondary education.
It has promoted the development of higher education: Higher teacher education during the Republic of China period promoted the development of higher education, promoted the development of higher teacher education to specialization and comprehensiveness, and also promoted the intersection and integration of higher teacher education with other disciplines, laying the foundation for the development of modern higher education in China.
Shaping the image of China's higher education: The policy of higher teacher education during the Republic of China also shaped the image of China's higher education, emphasized the academic and social responsibility of higher education, promoted the international exchange of China's higher education, and improved the status of China's higher education in the world.
Promoted educational reform: The policy of higher teacher education during the Republic of China promoted educational reform. Its emphasis on the concept of teacherhood, comprehensiveness and service to the society has become an important direction of China's modern higher education reform and promoted the development of China's modern higher education.
Cultivated outstanding talents: The policy of higher teacher education during the Republic of China period also cultivated outstanding talents, who not only made great achievements in the field of education, but also played an important role in various fields and made important contributions to China's modernization process.
The inadequacy of higher teacher education policy during the Republican period
Too much emphasis on theory and lack of practical links. The policy of higher teacher education in the Republican period paid too much attention to the theoretical foundation and lacked practical links, which was difficult to meet the needs of educators in society. This makes it difficult to improve the quality of higher teacher education, and also affects the status and influence of higher teacher education in society.
The level of teachers is uneven. The policy of higher teacher education during the Republic of China period attached importance to the quality of teachers, but the level and quality of teachers were uneven, and some teachers lacked teaching experience and ability, which affected the improvement of education quality.
School management is inadequate. There were also some problems in school management in the higher teacher education policy during the Republic of China, such as the school management system was not sound enough and the management efficiency was not high. These problems affect the quality and reputation of higher teacher education.
Educational resources are unevenly distributed. There were also some problems in the allocation of educational resources in the policy of higher teacher education during the Republic of China, some higher teacher education institutions had sufficient resources, while others were relatively backward and difficult to meet the needs of students and teachers.
The educational evaluation mechanism is not perfect. The policy of higher teacher education during the Republic of China period lacked a perfect educational evaluation system, and could not comprehensively, objectively and scientifically evaluate the quality of higher teacher education. This has caused certain restrictions on the development of higher teacher education, and also affected the recognition and trust of society in higher teacher education.
Reflections on education policy
Pay attention to the quality of education. The quality of education is the life of higher teacher education, and the policy of higher teacher education in the Republic of China period is lacking in the quality of education, we should pay attention to the improvement of education quality, establish a sound education quality assurance system, and ensure the quality and reputation of higher teacher education.
Strengthen practical teaching. Higher teacher education should focus on practical teaching, strengthen cooperation with industry enterprises, establish internship bases, and improve students' practical ability and professional qualities to meet the needs of society for educators.
Improve the quality of teachers. Teachers are the core of higher teacher education, the policy of higher teacher education in the Republic of China period attaches importance to the quality of teachers, but the level and quality of teachers are uneven, we should improve the quality of teachers, strengthen the training and further study of teachers, improve the social status and treatment of teachers, stimulate the enthusiasm and initiative of teachers.
Focus on educational reform. Higher teacher education should continue to change with the development of society, pay attention to educational reform, and promote the modernization and internationalization of higher teacher education to meet the needs and challenges of the times.
Strengthen the allocation of educational resources. The policy of higher teacher education in the Republic of China period also had some problems in the allocation of educational resources, and we should strengthen the allocation of educational resources and improve the teaching staff and teaching facilities of higher teacher education to meet the needs of students and teachers.