When the Communist Party of China (CPC) came into power in 1949, it main membership was farmers and workers with relatively limited education. Now 50 years later, Most of its leading officials are well-educated and even experts in respective fields.
The Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee statistics revealed on Wednesday that by the end of 2001, 87.9 percent of Chinese officials from county level to top ranks have received college education, compared with 16.4 percent in 1981. Some 6.4 percent have a master degree.
The Chinese officials have chosen to study more than 100 subjects at college, many of which have only become popular in the country in recent years, such as international law, public administration, non-linear science and MBA.
The official figures showed that in the CPC leading organs and government departments as finance, economics, trade, securities, science and technology, a large number of officials are senior professionals. The CPC now has a professional administrative contingent that is playing effective role in China's modernization drive.
Throughout its 80 years of CPC history, the educational standard of party members has never before reached its present level.
Zhang Guoqing, a professor with the Government Administration Institute of Beijing University, said that the rising educational level of CPC officials indicated an important step forward for the Party to develop the art of administration in an era of economic globalization, and help lay a solid foundation for the Party to achieve the goal of modern socialism.
He continued that in the time of China's liberalization war, many CPC officials came from the working class, who had little chance to receive education. Soon after the founding of New China in 1949, the education of officials focused excessively on political and cultural studies in an aim to serve the class struggle.
Liang Yanhui, a professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said that with the shift in the Party's priority from political struggle to economic reform, the need for educated CPC officials had jumped to the top of the Party's work agenda.
After the reform and opening-up policy was designated in 1978, a part-time education program for CPC officials was set up through training courses provided by party schools at various levels and other higher-learning institutes.
Zhang Guoqing said, "To let CPC officials to receive higher education is now an important embodiment of the essence of the thought of `Three Represents' put forward by CPC Central Committee's General Secretary Jiang Zemin."
Like the Five-Year planning schedules for the country's economic and social development, the comprehensive educational training scheme for CPC officials is also updated every five years to prepare them mentally for the constantly changing world.
In recent years, an overseas training program has been included in the scheme to enable many young and promising CPC officials to undertake advanced studies in universities in some developing countries.
With the CPC's leadership getting younger than before, more and more college graduates and talented people returning from overseas study have joined the Party's administration.
General Secretary Jiang Zemin recently prefaced a 12 volume teaching textbook on the reform and opening-up and the modernization of China for CPC officials.
"The CPC has realized that only the leading officials have good command of advanced science, Chinese traditional culture and general information can the CPC sustain its present advanced and representative nature," said Zhang.
(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2002)
