Border Region Government Directive on Promoting the Study of Model Schools and on Experimentation with Popular-Management Primary Schools (April 18, 1944)

Past primary education in the Border Region, compared with the situation before the revolution, has shown very great progress; but it still retains several shortcomings left over from the old style of education, especially in that educational policies are still not suited to the needs of society and the masses in the Border Region. First of all, in terms of its content, the new education does not make use of the experiences and problems in the actual lives of the Border Region population. On the contrary, its content is a complex curriculum not relevant to the urgent needs of the villages. As a result, students are cut off from production and alienated from their families; when students return to their homes they are unable to "look after the homestead." After graduating from primary school they look down on manual labor and are unwilling to serve the peasants. Female students entering the primary schools become estranged from their families, clamor for divorce, and create other problems. These influences hinder the development of production among the masses, destroy family relationships, and are contradictory to the present need for building up production in the Border Region. Because of this, the populace in a large number of areas is unwilling to send its children to school, thus putting severe limitations on the projects to achieve universal education and to eliminate illiteracy. Since undergoing rectification last year, the government and cadres at various levels have gradually come to realize these facts. In different areas, the policy and content of education have begun to be newly transformed. For example, the Sui-te Subregion has put forward a policy of "uniting labor units, social organizations, government, and families with the schools" and has, moreover, already begun to move in the direction of reform. In other areas, since last fall, certain schools have begun to focus on combining the content of education with production and family life. For example, the Yenan City Complete Primary School, beginning in the latter half of last year, has added, above the fourth grade level, instruction in accounting, letter-writing, map-making, contract-writing, and abacus; it has in addition begun advising the students to pay attention both to their studies and to manual labor; students are encouraged to return home and help with household work. Students are taught to understand manners and to respect their parents; during New Year's, they participated in the yang-ko drama and joined in anti-epidemic propaganda work; all this was a first step forward, and it earned the support of the masses. This spring, therefore, a great many among the masses in Yenan City changed their earlier attitudes toward the schools and sent their children to register. As a further example, at the most recent combined teachers' meeting in Yenan district the policy of "combining production with education" was put forth. The Fu-hsien Shensi] First Complete Primary School and the Tzu-ch'ang First Complete Primary School specified definite responsibilities for production, bringing about a combination of education and production; similar developments have taken place elsewhere. All this makes it very clear that primary education in the Border Region is already moving in a new direction, and this development makes us very happy. In this we have further proof that if only we think of the masses, plan for the masses, and adapt to the needs of the masses our schools will be run well and the people will certainly welcome them. Naturally, as of today this transformation has not yet become widespread, but has merely started.