CDRF Holds Fair and Symposium to Showcase Rural Primary School Innovation
"Guizhou has rich rural resources, and I am very pleased to see rural
education taking root in Guizhou. The Rural Primary School Innovation project
has brought rural education to life!" Zhang Xiaode, a professor at the Party
School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (National School
of Administration), shared his feelings during the Rural Primary School
InnovationProject Fair.
"The Rural Primary School Innovation project was launched in 2020 by the
China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) and Tianzige NGO, with the aim of
providing rural children with a good education right at home. The project aims
to build a comprehensive knowledge system for rural children through a holistic
education model, which will help them develop a love for their home, a close
relationship with the land and nature, and a love for labor, thereby building
their overall learning and development capacity.
On June 16, 2023, three years after the launch of the project, a fair and
symposium on rural primary school Innovation was held at Gongnong Primary School
in Zheng'an County of Zunyi, Guizhou. Representatives from 32 rural primary
schools in the county participated in the fair and shared their achievements and
experiences in implementing innovative education.
Nearly 700 pieces of children's handicraft were exhibited at the event,
covering various forms such as drawings, clay sculptures, poems, cardboard
scenery, and homemade story books, involving various cultural themes such as
family tree, local topography, local flora and fauna, local cuisine, local
dignitaries, and local architecture. These works were created by the students
through the "Experience-Learn-Create" process of the Rural Primary School
Innovation project, and embody the children's love for the local community and
their imagination.
Young narrators from the village primary school introduced their school and
the crafts completed by the students for the visitors, showing the spirit of the
new era of rural children.
During the event, Ms. Liu Qun, teacher from Huangdu Primary School in
Zheng'an County, taught a demonstration class with the theme of "Finding the
homes of snails" to the children. Ms. Liu first introduced some knowledge on
snails, and then led the students to search for snails in small groups in the
campus. The hands-on experience gave the students a deeper understanding and
knowledge. In the next lesson, students will create a "snail's home" based on
this observation.
Qiao Zhengyang, Deputy Secretary General of China Development Research
Foundation (CDRF), pointed out that the innovative education supported by local
culture and natural resources carried out by CDRF in cooperation with Tianzige
NGO is a new field of rural education development. General Secretary Xi Jinping
stressed that it is necessary to adhere to high-quality development as the
lifeline of education at all levels and accelerate the construction of a
high-quality education system. Basic education should not only strengthen
students' knowledge base, but also stimulate students' interest in science and
exploring the unknown, and cultivate their exploratory and innovative thinking.
Actively exploring the use of innovative educational tools to promote the
high-quality development of rural education is a historical opportunity and
mission.
Xiao Shijian, the founder of Tianzige NGO and the general principal of
Tianzige Experimental School, said that after three years of implementation, the
Rural Primary School Innovation project has covered 35 rural elementary school
in Zheng'an County, benefiting more than 5,000 rural children. The rural
education model has taken initial shape, forming a systematic rural themed
curriculum, a supporting rural teacher training system, and a mature project
operation model. The curriculum platform will be used for teachers' lesson
preparation and project management, which will also facilitate further promotion
of the rural themed curriculum.
Professor Zhang Xiaode from the Party School of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China (National School of Administration) gave a speech on
"What kind of education is needed for Chinese modernization". He pointed out
that our current education is about how to do things, not about how to grow as a
person, which is the key philosophy inherited by the Chinese people for
thousands of years. Exploring what is life is the ultimate question of our
education. It is not that the countryside needs education, but the other way
around; the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the inheritance of
Chinese culture all need the revitalization of rural education. He said that the
Rural Primary School Innovation project has brought rural education to life, and
there is great potential for education in Guizhou in the future.
Chen Hao, Vice Chairman of Zheng'an County Political Consultative Conference
and Director of Zheng'an County Bureau of Education and Sports, and Zeng
Changguo, member of the Education Working Committee of Zhengfeng County
Committee and member of the Party Group of Zhengfeng County Education Bureau,
also shared their experiences in promoting innovative education in the county
and the changes brought by the project to the county's education.
Guan Shuai from BNU Education Group was impressed by the fair. He said that
the event fully demonstrated the low-cost and high-quality achievements and
showed us what the future of rural education revitalization could look like.
