The Ministry of Education and other 18 departments on strengthening primary and secondary schools in the new era
Opinions on the work of science education
Teaching Supervision [2023] No. 2
All provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government have education departments (education commissions), party committee propaganda departments, cyberspace administrations, civilization offices, development and reform commissions, science and technology departments (committees and bureaus), competent departments of industry and information technology, communications management bureaus, finance departments (bureaus), natural resources departments, ecological environment departments (bureaus), agricultural and rural (agriculture and animal husbandry) departments (bureaus, committees), Youth League committees, women's federations, science and technology associations, young workers' committees, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Education Bureau, Party Committee Propaganda Department, Cyberspace Affairs Office, Civilization Office, Development and Reform Commission, Science and Technology Bureau, Industry and Information Technology Bureau, Finance Bureau, Natural Resources Bureau, Ecology and Environment Bureau, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, Youth League Committee, Women's Federation, Science and Technology Association, Young Workers Committee, units under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, education departments (bureaus) of relevant departments (units), colleges and universities under the ministry, and colleges and universities jointly built by ministries and provinces:
In order to deeply implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the third collective study of the Political Bureau of the 2021th CPC Central Committee, fully implement the deployment requirements of the Opinions of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on Further Reducing the Burden of Homework and Off-campus Training for Students in the Stage of Compulsory Education, the Opinions on Further Strengthening the Popularization of Science and Technology in the New Era, and the Outline of the Action Plan for National Scientific Literacy (2035-<>), and strive to do a good job in the addition of science education in the "double reduction" of education, and integrate education, science and technology, For the high-quality development of talents, the following opinions are put forward.
1. General requirements
1. Guiding ideology
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, focus on the fundamental task of cultivating virtue and cultivating people in accordance with the central government's "double reduction" work deployment, improve the curriculum system, revise science teaching materials, improve teaching methods, strengthen the construction of teachers, make good use of practice places, launch high-quality resources, strengthen brand activities, promote discipline construction, carry out scientific research, mobilize social forces, promote the organic connection between the main position of primary and secondary school science education schools and social classrooms, and improve students' scientific quality. Cultivate young people with the potential of scientists who are willing to dedicate themselves to scientific research, cultivate socialist builders and successors, and lay a solid foundation for accelerating the construction of a strong country in education, science and technology, and talent, and comprehensively building a modern socialist country.
2. Working principles
Focus on practice and stimulate interest. Student-oriented, teaching according to aptitude, promote science education based on inquiry practice, stimulate primary and secondary school students' curiosity, imagination and desire for exploration, cultivate students' interest in science, guide students to widely participate in inquiry practice, achieve the combination of learning and thinking, edutainment, consciously acquire scientific knowledge, cultivate scientific spirit, improve scientific quality, enhance scientific and technological self-reliance, cultivate family and country feelings, strive to plant scientific seeds in children's hearts, and guide children to weave their dreams of becoming scientists.
Focus on integration and revitalize resources. On the basis of the existing science education resources and working mechanism, integrate and increase efficiency, integrate internal and external resources, accurately meet the needs of students, rely on the national smart education public service platform, and provide the national primary and secondary schools and students with menu self-selection for independent selection, shaping new momentum and new advantages in science education.
The emphasis is on integration, internal and external linkage. Pay attention to the combination of knowledge learning and practice, strengthen the middle school, use the middle school, and create the middle school, coordinate the popularization and improvement, selection and training, attach importance to the organic connection of grade levels and the horizontal cooperation of related disciplines, encourage colleges and universities and scientific research institutes to take the initiative to lead primary and secondary school science education, and promote the effective linkage of "invite in" and "go out".
Focus on inclusiveness, help and guidance. Strengthen macro-control, focus science and education projects and tangible resources on central and western regions, rural areas, old revolutionary areas, ethnic areas, border areas, and key counties for national rural revitalization, and provide care and assistance to weak schools and special children's groups.
Focus on collaboration, system design. Promote and improve the scientific education cooperation mechanism of unified leadership of local party committees and governments, effective linkage and close cooperation among all departments, and continuously improve the collaborative education mechanism of universities, primary and secondary schools and home-school-community cooperation. Systematically do a good job in the top-level design of science education, comprehensively strengthen work deployment, promotion, monitoring and guidance, realize closed-loop management of the whole chain, and improve the implementation efficiency of science education.
3. Main objectives
Through 3 to 5 years of efforts, the measures to do a good job in the addition of science education in the "double reduction" of education have been fully implemented, the science education system of primary and secondary schools has been further improved, the resources of all parties in society have been organically integrated, practical activities have been rich and colorful, the scale of science education teachers has continued to expand, the quality and ability have been significantly enhanced, the collaborative education mechanism of universities, primary and secondary schools and home-school communities has been significantly improved, the quality of science education has been significantly improved, the scientific quality of primary and secondary school students has been significantly improved, and science education has been promoted in promoting the healthy growth of students. It will play a major role in comprehensively developing and promoting the construction of a modern socialist education power.
2. Improve school teaching and services
4. Improve the system of curriculum and teaching materials and improve science education standards. To meet the needs of scientific and technological development and industrial transformation, strengthen the revision and improvement of curriculum standards and teaching materials for primary and secondary school science and related disciplines (physics, chemistry, biology, geography, information technology/information technology, general technology, etc.), highlight the cultivation of students' core literacy, strengthen the organic connection between grade levels, and coordinate the planning of science education and engineering education, reflecting practical and comprehensive. Strengthen the guidance of domestic software application in science education textbooks. Incorporate teaching aids into the supervision system to ensure the ideological and scientific nature of teaching aids. Implement curriculum plans and curriculum standards, organize the development of appropriate curriculum resources and provide them to schools free of charge. Integrate school curriculum, after-school services and extracurricular practical activities.
5. Deepen school teaching reform and improve the quality of science education. All localities should strengthen teaching management and properly open science courses in accordance with the curriculum plan. Continuously optimize teaching plans and study plans, and strengthen targeted science education guidance for students. Implement heuristic, inquiry-based teaching to improve homework design and cultivate students' deep thinking. Explore project-based, interdisciplinary learning to enhance students' problem-solving skills. Implement the standards for the allocation of teaching equipment for science and related disciplines, and strengthen the construction of laboratories. Explore the use of artificial intelligence, virtual reality and other technical means to improve and strengthen experimental teaching, and pay attention to the use of advanced education technology to make up for the lack of high-quality education and teaching resources in weak areas, weak schools and special children's groups. Organize the selection of experimental teaching courses. Give play to the role of teaching and research departments at all levels and teaching guidance committees to identify, cultivate and promote advanced teaching methods and models.
6. Create conditions to enrich content and expand scientific practice activities. All localities should carry out experimental and inquiry practical activities in accordance with curriculum standards, and implement the teaching requirement of no less than 10% in principle for interdisciplinary theme learning. Each school should have a school leader or hire experts and scholars as vice presidents for science, and in principle, set up at least one science and technology counselor, and pair at least one institution with certain science popularization functions (libraries, bases, parks, enterprises, etc.). It is necessary to "invite in" and "go out" two-way interaction to carry out practical activities. In terms of "please come in", activities such as "scientists (spirit) enter the campus", juvenile academy of science, mobile science and technology museum, mobile youth palace, science popularization caravan, science and technology festival, scientific investigation experience and other activities are carried out. In terms of "going out", primary and secondary school students are organized to go to science education places to carry out scene-based and experiential science practice activities.
7. Incorporate after-school service projects to attract students' active participation. All localities should regard science education as the most basic and necessary item of after-school services, and carry out popular science lectures, scientific experiments, scientific and technological creation, maker activities, observation and research, etc., to continuously enhance the attractiveness of after-school services. Strengthen the guidance of student science and technology clubs and interest groups, and guide and support interested students to carry out long-term, in-depth and systematic scientific inquiry and experiments. Improve mechanisms for third-party institutions to enter campuses, and make overall plans for the use of high-quality science and education resources in society.
8. Strengthen the construction of teachers and give play to the leading role of teachers. Increase and strengthen a number of teacher training majors for primary and secondary school science course teachers, and strengthen experimental teaching capabilities. Explore the selection and training of a group of high-level and composite high school science teachers. Increase the proportion of teachers in science courses in publicly-funded teacher training students and the "Excellent Teacher Program". Encourage high-level comprehensive universities to participate in teacher training, and strengthen the supply of high-quality professional science course teachers from the source. In the demonstration project of the "National Training Plan", a teacher training program for primary and secondary school science courses has been specially set up. Upgrade and implement the action plan for improving the scientific literacy of primary and secondary school teachers, enhance the awareness and ability of science education, and explore and carry out the certification of professional level of science education. Implement the establishment of science teacher positions in primary schools, strengthen the allocation of primary and secondary school experimenters and science teaching and research personnel in teaching and research departments at all levels, and gradually promote the realization of at least one science teacher with a master's degree in science and engineering in each primary school. All localities should earnestly stimulate the enthusiasm and creativity of teachers to participate in science education, and explore the establishment of multiple evaluation mechanisms for teachers of science courses.
Third, make good use of the social classroom
9. Comprehensively mobilize relevant units to serve scientific and practical education. Strengthen departmental coordination, coordinate and mobilize universities, scientific research institutes, science and technology museums, youth palaces, children's activity centers, museums, cultural centers, libraries, planning exhibition halls, industrial and agricultural enterprises and other units, and open their venues, bases, camps, parks, production lines and other positions, platforms, carriers and resources to students, so as to provide a material basis for the extensive implementation of scientific practice education. All relevant departments and units are encouraged to establish expert teams of "science education social classrooms" to develop science education courses and programs suitable for primary and secondary school students. Combined with the construction of child-friendly cities, promote the construction of multi-functional education bases with science popularization and experience. Deepen the opening of environmental protection facilities, enrich the form of environmental science popularization content, and build an ecological civilization education base. Use parent schools, children's homes, juvenile academies, youth science studios and other service forms and models to provide science education to families and adolescents.
10. Guide enterprises to build bases and improve practical teaching conditions. All localities should actively mobilize all kinds of enterprises, especially those closely related to high-precision and cutting-edge technology, to build science education sites for weak areas and schools in the form of enterprise donations, listings, and titles, provide equipment, equipment, books, software, etc., and train professional interpreters. Guide high-tech industrial and agricultural enterprises to carry out the "self-confident and self-reliant technology product experience" activity, and encourage primary and secondary school students to be diligent in exploration and brave in practice. Guide primary and secondary school students to learn scientific knowledge in the real production and living environment, and understand the spirit of labor, research, innovation and craftsmanship.
11. Encourage colleges and universities and research institutes to take the initiative to connect with primary and secondary schools and lead the development of science education. Encourage and support colleges and universities and scientific research institutes to establish incentive mechanisms, guide scientists (scientific and technological workers) to research and participate in primary and secondary school science education, arrange laboratories and other scientific and technological resources to be appropriately opened to primary and secondary school students, and coordinate the organization of scientific summer (winter) camps, etc., to provide a strong guarantee for scientific practical activities. All localities should build platforms to support primary and secondary schools to connect with universities and scientific research institutes, and make good use of relevant practical resources. Promote joint teaching and research between universities and secondary schools to achieve better connection between teaching content and teaching methods; Advocate the joint construction of innovation laboratories, science popularization stations, talent cultivation classes, explore the dual tutor system of universities and middle schools, and teach according to aptitude.
12. Promote all-media dissemination and create an atmosphere of science education. Vigorously carry forward the spirit of science and the spirit of scientists, promote the new media platforms affiliated to the main central media to set up special columns on science education, increase the publicity and guidance of science education, and encourage primary and secondary school students to establish the lofty ambition of serving the country through science and technology. Include science education in the key tasks of the "double reduction" publicity work matrix, encourage the central and local major media to cooperate with all types of science education institutions and science and technology social organizations at all levels, strengthen the creation of original popular science works, actively promote science education communication and innovation, and create a strong atmosphere that attaches importance to and supports science education.
13. Optimize the digital intelligence platform and enrich science education resources. Link science education resources in the National Smart Education Public Service Platform, encourage all sectors of society to produce and launch "science open courses" and "family science education guidance courses", and continuously enrich platform resources. Establish a resource bank of scientists (scientific and technological workers), science courses, and science education sites, strengthen resource collection, docking, and scheduling mechanisms, and efficiently and orderly arrange local and school selection and use.
Fourth, do a good job in linking relevant reforms
14. Standardize off-campus training in science and technology, and form a useful supplement to school education. All localities should reasonably plan the overall scale, set standards, and approval procedures for science and technology non-discipline off-campus training institutions, guide the legal operation and standardized development of institutions, and effectively meet the individual needs of students. All non-discipline off-campus training institutions of science and technology will be included in the national comprehensive platform for off-campus education and training supervision and services, and the whole process supervision will be implemented. According to actual needs, through government procurement of services, etc., compliant non-discipline training courses in science and technology can be appropriately introduced.
15. Strictly manage competition activities and cultivate students' spirit of "dedication to science". All localities should strengthen positive publicity and guidance, guide primary and secondary school students to rationally choose to participate in "whitelist" competitions, build a platform for primary and secondary school students to grow, discover potential students, and guide them to actively participate in scientific research. Guide the organizers of the competition to integrate patriotic education into the competition activities and cultivate the feelings of the participating students' home and country; Highlight collectivist education and lay a solid ideological foundation for participating students to engage in organized scientific research in the future.
16. Coordinate top-notch innovative talent projects and explore long-term mechanisms for selection and training. All localities and relevant colleges and universities should actively explore effective models for the selection and training of top-notch innovative talents, establish an overall planning and coordination mechanism, clarify the respective focuses of projects such as "middle school student talent plan", "strong foundation plan", "basic discipline top-notch student training plan" and "college science camp" in selection, cultivation and use, refine support measures, promote orderly implementation, and improve training efficiency. Promote all kinds of schools to strengthen follow-up research and summary, and achieve practical results in the discovery methods and training paths of potential students. Pilot the construction of science and technology high schools, and strengthen the connection between university and high school education in talent training.
17. Promote the reform of the content of the high school entrance examination, and improve the proposition of the academic level examination. All localities should improve the form of test questions, adhere to the intention of literacy, enhance the basic, applied, comprehensive and innovative nature of test questions, reduce mechanical brushing questions, guide classroom teaching to improve quality and efficiency, and cultivate students' scientific spirit. Strengthen experimental examination and improve students' hands-on operation and experimental ability. Establish a high-level proposition (review) team composed of discipline question (review) personnel, subject secretaries, educational measurement experts, proposition organization managers, etc., and optimize the team structure. Strengthen the career development planning education of middle school students, and guide students to clarify their interests and specialties and career goals.
18. Pay attention to systematic design arrangements to help different stages of organic connection. All localities should, in accordance with the focus of each school section, promote the organic development and extension of science education in primary and secondary schools to all types of education at all levels. Pay attention to the connection and integration of science-related courses in general high schools and vocational education. Encourage the establishment of elective courses on the History of Science and Technology at the undergraduate level. Strengthen the cultivation of scientific and technological innovation ability at the postgraduate level, and guide students to master scientific research methods and innovative thinking.
19. Implement family science education and promote home-school-community collaborative education. All localities should highlight the value of popular science, gather the strength of science popularization experts, launch open courses on family science popularization, carry out various forms of family science popularization activities, create a "doorstep" science education position, promote science education into thousands of households, and enhance parents' awareness of science popularization and students' scientific quality.
20. Strengthen the construction of disciplines and carry out scientific education and research. Strengthen the professional construction of science education disciplines and build a team of high-quality talents. Strengthen the support of the national science and technology plan for research in fields related to science education. Promote the construction of an interdisciplinary research platform for science and education. Encourage universities, educational academies, and scientific research institutes to establish science education research centers to carry out theoretical research and practice. Strengthen international exchanges among teachers, grasp the trends of international science education, and absorb excellent research results.
5. Strengthen organizational leadership
21. Full system deployment. Effectively improve the political position, give full play to the role of the special coordination mechanism for the "double reduction" work, and establish a science education work mechanism led by the education department and jointly managed by relevant departments. Refine and improve measures to ensure that science education is effective. Fully mobilize social forces, set up an expert team composed of scientists, scientific and technological talents in various fields, science and technology museums and science and technology counselors of science popularization education bases, strengthen planning guidance and promote implementation. Build a platform for discussion and exchange of science education in primary and secondary schools, promote typical work cases, and summarize and optimize the path of reform and development.
22. Implement funding guarantees. Coordinate funds and projects from all parties, extensively seek social funding, and increase support for science education. All resource units should adhere to the public welfare orientation and provide science education services to primary and secondary school students free of charge or on a preferential basis. Make good use of the existing lottery public welfare fund projects, and effectively do a good job in education assistance and off-campus research for primary and secondary school students. Actively seek the support of social organizations such as the China Education Development Foundation, and increase support for weak areas, weak schools, and special children's groups.
23. Strengthen project leadership. Implement key projects such as "School Science Education Quality Improvement Plan", "Scientists (Spirit) into Campus Action", "'Thousands of Museums' Science Education General Mobilization Action", "Science Popularization into Ten Thousand Homes Action", "Junior Academy of Sciences", "Central and Western Region Science Education Site Aid Project", "All-media Science Popularization Action" and other key projects, and release key project plans in a timely manner. Set up experimental (demonstration) areas, experimental (demonstration) schools and demonstration bases to lead the reform and development of science education in primary and secondary schools nationwide.
24. Implement monitoring guidance. Strengthen scientific education research and guidance, and consolidate responsibility layer by layer. Strengthen dynamic monitoring, regularly analyze and judge the scientific quality of adolescents, and publish relevant results. Complete the statistical survey of popular science resources on time, and strengthen guidance for the construction of areas with weak resources. Timely publicize the progress and achievements of the work, improve the people's perception and recognition, and create a good atmosphere for reform.
Ministry of Education, Central Propaganda Department, Central Cyberspace Administration of China
Central Office for the Construction of Spiritual Civilization, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Science and Technology
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Natural Resources
Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chinese Academy of Engineering, Natural Science Foundation Committee, Central Committee of the Communist Youth League
All-China Women's Federation, China Association for Science and Technology, National Young Workers Committee
May 2023, 5