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Commentary: Why political education matters to college students

Xinhua, December 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

Ideological work should be integrated with higher education, while adherence to the Party's leadership should be consolidated in universities, Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a two-day meeting last week.

Why does the central leadership put so much focus on college students' political education?

All around the world, higher education shoulders the major responsibility for educating those that create a country's development, and is a key factor in realizing national potential, and so it must be guided on the correct political path.

China's unique history, culture and national conditions have dictated the development path for higher education and colleges, featuring socialism with Chinese characteristics.

China did not just randomly chose its current ideology and political system. Rather, it is a result of laborious endeavor of trial and error. History has told the Chinese that denying the leadership of the CPC and socialism leads to chaos and stagnation.

China cannot simply copy another country's political system or teach students in an identical way to the west.

In a time of great change and swift transition, college students can sometimes get confused, lost and even go astray due to a lack of clear faith and determination.

Teaching Marxist theory in universities help students lay an ideological foundation in their lives. Their moral characteristics and human qualities enhanced during learning can enable them to develop both ability and integrity.

Moreover, Chinese political education, stressing socialism and the Party's leadership, does not mean China is going to limit academic freedom in universities. Instead, it will help students to form an independent and conscientious world view to tell apart decayed ideas, and absorb fine culture and thought from around the world.

All students should be educated about development trends in China and the world at large, and bear a sense of historical mission to integrate their own ideals and pursuits into the cause of the nation. Endi