Education
Problems in education in rural areas:
- Only 30% of all males over seven, and just 1% of all females over seven, could read a
simple letter.
- 45.2% of males and only 2.2% of females had received any schooling.
- Males attended 4 years of school on average, and those few females who did attend
attended three years.
- Practical subjects required by a modern economy (maths and science) were not
taught.
- The system remained elitist with the best kindergartens and schools located in
wealthy areas of the cities. Tuition fees were charged, and there were entrance
examinations.
- Within higher education only 3% studied agriculture.
Successes:
- Between 1959 and 1957 the number of primary school students increased from 26
million to 64 million.
- The ‘min-pan’ (run by the people) primary schools were financially supported by the
local village.
- Winter schools provided short courses for adult peasants with the Party claiming
that 42 million peasants attended from Winter 1951-2.
- University enrolments increased from 117,000 to 400,000. There was a focus on
training for specialised technical jobs needed for running a modern economy.
- 20 new polytechnics and 26 new engineering institutes specialising in steelmaking,
mining and geology were created. By 1953, 63% of students were in engineering,
medicine and agriculture.
- Pinyin was introduced to improve communication across China.
- During the GLF, the min-pan schooling system was extended to secondary education.
- Mao promoted a ‘half work, half study’ curriculum that rejected traditional rote-
learning. New agricultural middle schools ran vocational courses, preparing peasants
for operating local rural industries and supporting modern agricultural techniques.
- By 1960 there was approximately one school per commune (around 30,000 schools)
with a total of 2.9 million students.
- As part of the Socialist Education Campaign, education was re-focused on Marxist-
Leninist theory and class struggle with Socialist heroes playing a central role in
school.
- ‘Barefoot doctors’ were trained for six months to provide healthcare in rural areas.
Problems in education in rural areas:
- Only 30% of all males over seven, and just 1% of all females over seven, could read a
simple letter.
- 45.2% of males and only 2.2% of females had received any schooling.
- Males attended 4 years of school on average, and those few females who did attend
attended three years.
- Practical subjects required by a modern economy (maths and science) were not
taught.
- The system remained elitist with the best kindergartens and schools located in
wealthy areas of the cities. Tuition fees were charged, and there were entrance
examinations.
- Within higher education only 3% studied agriculture.
Successes:
- Between 1959 and 1957 the number of primary school students increased from 26
million to 64 million.
- The ‘min-pan’ (run by the people) primary schools were financially supported by the
local village.
- Winter schools provided short courses for adult peasants with the Party claiming
that 42 million peasants attended from Winter 1951-2.
- University enrolments increased from 117,000 to 400,000. There was a focus on
training for specialised technical jobs needed for running a modern economy.
- 20 new polytechnics and 26 new engineering institutes specialising in steelmaking,
mining and geology were created. By 1953, 63% of students were in engineering,
medicine and agriculture.
- Pinyin was introduced to improve communication across China.
- During the GLF, the min-pan schooling system was extended to secondary education.
- Mao promoted a ‘half work, half study’ curriculum that rejected traditional rote-
learning. New agricultural middle schools ran vocational courses, preparing peasants
for operating local rural industries and supporting modern agricultural techniques.
- By 1960 there was approximately one school per commune (around 30,000 schools)
with a total of 2.9 million students.
- As part of the Socialist Education Campaign, education was re-focused on Marxist-
Leninist theory and class struggle with Socialist heroes playing a central role in
school.
- ‘Barefoot doctors’ were trained for six months to provide healthcare in rural areas.
