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.
