Chapter 333 University Reform
After the ceremony, Sun Yat-sen began to work, using the West Flower Hall in the Liangjiang Governor's Office as the "temporary president's office" and the living room in a two-story building not far from the office that was once used for staff residence.
This was also done to put pressure on Yuan Xiangcheng. Yuan Xiangcheng certainly did not agree. On the one hand, he ordered the Beiyang Army to attack the South and asked the Beiyang generals to send telegrams to express their opposition to the South. On the other hand, he pretended to be furious, "I am the Prime Minister of the Qing Dynasty. How can I support the republic! You want me to bully orphans and widows and be cursed by the world for all eternity? I will not do it!"
These methods were also a form of pressure. Because he had the most powerful Beiyang New Army in China under his control, his strength was stronger. Sun Yat-sen gradually lost the upper hand in the struggle.
The North and the South were in chaos, but the work that needed to be done still had to be done. Because Zhang Xingjiu was unwilling to serve as the Minister of Education, the position was given to Cai Heqing. He quickly gathered people to discuss the reform of the education system, and A Zhang, who was a teacher in Shaoxing, was also called over to work under him.
Zhang Xingjiu did not return to Shanghai either. He discussed with Ma Xiangbo and others under the title of consultant what kind of education system should be implemented in the Republic of China. Influenced by him, Ma Xiangbo did not accept the position of mayor of Jinling.
Old friends met again, especially when the Qing Dynasty was on the verge of collapse and the republican system had been established on the surface, so Zhang was very happy. He and Zhang Xingjiu had a few drinks, but they had a meeting the next day, so they couldn't enjoy themselves to the fullest.
The meeting officially began. Cai Heqing put forward the agenda of this meeting. First, we will discuss the new school system for general education, then discuss higher education, and then form a system and order all provinces to implement it accordingly. What we are going to discuss today is the former.
Cai Heqing has been engaged in the education industry for many years and has his own ideas on how to implement general education. He came up with his own plan and named it "Interim Management Measures for General Education", which is mainly aimed at primary education institutions such as primary schools, high primary schools, middle schools, and junior normal schools.
There are a total of fourteen methods, including that all previous schools will be renamed as schools; supervisors and hall heads will all be renamed as principals; primary schools can be co-educational; primary school scripture reading courses will be abolished; all textbooks must conform to the principles of the Republic; and all textbooks issued by the Qing Ministry of Education will be banned.
All textbooks in popular circulation among the public should avoid any content that venerates the Qing Dynasty court and the old official and military systems. Each bookstore should revise these content on its own and submit samples to this ministry, the provincial Civil Affairs Department, and the Education Association for record. If school teachers encounter content in textbooks that is inconsistent with the principles of the republic, they may delete or revise it at any time, and may point it out and submit a report to the Civil Affairs Department or the Education Association to notify the bookstore to make the corrections.
More emphasis should be placed on handicrafts in primary schools; the old system of rewarding students for their good family background should be abolished; in gymnastics courses at primary schools and above, emphasis should be placed on military postures; in elementary school arithmetic courses, starting from the third year, should also include courses on abacus, etc.
The participants spoke very enthusiastically and expressed their own views. Zhang Xingjiu also put forward his own suggestions. The first is to unify the textbooks. If the textbooks of each province are different, how to screen the examinations? Considering the current conditions of transportation, communication, printing, etc., it is not realistic for the Ministry of Education to print and distribute textbooks uniformly. It is even impossible to compile standard textbooks and let each province print them by itself.
Therefore, at the beginning we can only list the required knowledge points and let the provincial education departments compile textbooks based on these knowledge points. When the conditions are right in the future, we can unify the textbooks.
Cai Heqing accepted this. He knew that even if it was issued, the provinces might not necessarily comply, but it was better to have it than not. He also gave the task of organizing the knowledge points of mathematics, physics, and chemistry to Zhang Xingjiu. He had previously compiled many textbooks at Aurora University and was a world-renowned scholar. No one could say anything about letting him be in charge of this job.
Zhang Xingjiu accepted the task, which was indeed not a difficult task for him. In addition to having rich experience in textbook compilation, he had also experienced the entire learning process from elementary school to university and even a doctorate many times, and knew what knowledge students in the basic education stage needed to master most.
Then came the discussion on higher education. Cai Heqing was also prepared. He believed that a university should be aimed at teaching advanced academic subjects, cultivating great talents, and meeting the needs of the country. It should be divided into seven disciplines: liberal arts, science, law, business, medicine, agriculture, and engineering. Liberal arts and science should be the main two disciplines. If both liberal arts and science are set up, or liberal arts and law and business are combined, or science and medicine, agriculture, and engineering are combined, then it can be called a university.
The university has a three-year preparatory course that accepts high school graduates or those who have passed tests and have equivalent academic qualifications; the undergraduate course lasts for three to four years and accepts preparatory course graduates or those who have passed tests and have equivalent academic qualifications. After graduation, they are called bachelors; there is a graduate school with no set time limit, which accepts graduates of all disciplines or those who have passed tests and have equivalent academic qualifications.
Zhang Xingjiu also has a different opinion on this. First of all, undergraduate education alone is not enough. We should also add junior colleges to train professional talents. From a certain perspective, the Republic of China currently needs more junior college talents.
The three-year preparatory course and the three-year or four-year undergraduate course system is too long. It takes six or seven years just to study, which is equivalent to directly excluding students from poor families. Therefore, the preparatory course can be shortened to one year. Both undergraduate and junior college courses can adopt the credit system. If you complete enough credits, you can get a degree and a diploma.
Someone immediately raised an objection, saying that the current domestic education foundation is weak, and only one year of preparatory courses is not enough to lay a solid foundation for these students to reach the standards for entering undergraduate studies.
After some debate, both sides compromised and the preparatory course still lasted three years, but outstanding students could take the entrance examination one year later. If they passed the examination, they could enter undergraduate studies without having to study for the full three years.
There is not much objection to junior colleges, because there are already some normal colleges, mining schools, railway schools and other similar schools. These students are not yet qualified to go on to undergraduate studies and also need a placement.
Zhang Xingjiu knew that Yuan Xiangcheng would soon replace Sun Yat-sen, and the things they discussed would probably be difficult to promote quickly across the country, but some work had to be done by someone, and as long as someone did it, it would play a certain role. If no plan was even made, how could the domestic education industry develop?
With these two documents, people across the country who are passionate about education will know what they should do. By managing schools and training students according to the above methods, they will be able to cultivate more talents for China that meet the needs of the times.
After the meeting, A Zhang continued to stay in Jinling to work, while Zhang Xingjiu and Ma Xiangbo returned to Shanghai to continue to preside over the daily management of Aurora University.
A few days after returning, Zhang Xingjiu went to the Aurora University Medical School and found Wu Lien-teh, who was the dean there.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
