Strategy for invigorating China through science and education

In 1977, after the ending of the Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping pointed out, "China must catch up with the most advanced countries in the world. But how shall we go about it? I believe we have to begin by tackling science and education." He said this at a forum on work in science and education, and demanded the Party committees and governments at all levels to attach importance to the work in science and education.

The strategy for invigorating China through science and education was unveiled by the Party Central Committee and the State Council at the National Conference on Science and Technology in May 1995. It has been enriched with the infusion of new insights contained in a series of policies rolled out in the past 20 years, including the Ninth Five-year Plan and Vision 2010. It is highlighted in the report to the 19th CPC National Congress as one of the seven strategies for completing the building of a moderately prosperous society, and incorporates new directives that respond to today's new challenges.

The strategy for invigorating China through science and education is guided by the thinking that science and technology is a primary source of productivity growth. It emphasizes the importance of education and science and technology in promoting economic and social development, and the need for strengthened capacity building in science and technology and for expanded application of science and technology to productivity growth, so as to increase the contribution of science and technology to the economy. The strategy also aims to raise public awareness and understanding of science and technology, as part of the effort to increase the reliance of economic development on science and technology and to promote human development, a move that helps accelerate China's march toward greater prosperity.

This strategy relies on education. The key to its successful implementation is the development of science and technology. To ensure that science and technology plays its due role in economic development, it is essential to promote the development of education and science and technology.

To this end, further institutional reform is necessary in education and in the field of science and technology, and better alignment is called for between education and science and technology on one hand and the economy in general on the other. Science and technology initiatives should be better geared toward economic development, and focus more on tackling urgent issues that bear on economic development. Education should be oriented toward our modernization drive and toward the future, with greater openness to the outside world. Structural reform in education should proceed in tandem with measures to rationalize resource allocation, so as to improve education quality and efficiency and to ensure that education better serves the economy.

科教興國戰略

早在1977年“文化大革命”剛結束時，鄧小平同志就提出：“我們國家要趕上世界先進水平，從何著手呢?我想，要從科學和教育著手。”想，要從年，在全國科技工作會議和全國教育工作會議上，鄧小平同志要求各級黨委和政府重視教育和科技工作。1995年5月，中共中央、國務院召開全國科學技術大會，決定在全國實施科教興國戰略。20多年以來，“九五”計劃、2010年遠景目標等一系列重大決策部署不斷賦予其新內涵。黨的十九大報告更是將科教興國戰略確定為決勝全面建成小康社會需要堅定實施的七大戰略之一，“科教興國”被賦予新的時代內涵。科教興國戰略就是在“科學技術是第一生產力思想”的指導下，堅持教育為本，把科技和教育擺在經濟、社會發展的重要位置，增強國家的科技實力和科學技術向現實生產力轉化的能力，提高科技對經濟的貢獻率，提高全民族的科技文化素質，把經濟建設轉移到依靠科技進步和提高勞動者素質的軌道上來，加速實現國家的繁榮昌盛。

科教興國戰略，基礎在教育，關鍵在科技。實施科教興國戰略，既要充分發揮科技和教育在興國中的作用，又要努力培植科技和教育這個興國的基礎。實施科教興國戰略，必須深化科技和教育體制改革，促進科技、教育同經濟的結合。科技工作必須自覺面向經濟建設主戰場，將攻克國民經濟發展中迫切需要解決的關鍵問題作為主要任務；教育工作要面向現代化、面向世界、面向未來，優化教育結構，改革教育體制，合理配置資源，提高教育質量和辦學效益，使教育與經濟緊密結合起來。