On March 25th, the Beijing Higher Education institutions Spirit of Educators Lecture Series, in conjunction with the Wu Yuzhang Teacher Ethics Forum at Renmin University of China (RUC), was held to promote the spirit of educators and advance the high-quality development of education in the capital and the construction of a strong educational nation.

In attendance were Zhang Donggang, Secretary of the Communist Party Committee of RUC, Yu Weiyue, Director of the Teacher Work Department of the Ministry of Education, Li Junfeng and Wang Dapin, Deputy Secretaries of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China for Education Work, among others. Zhu Xinkai, Executive Vice President of RUC, presided over the event.

In his opening speech, Zhang Donggang pointed out that higher education is the leading force in building a strong educational nation, and teachers are the backbone. RUC boasts red educators such as Wu Yuzhang and Cheng Fangwu and distinguished educators like Wei Xinghua and Gao Mingshan. By strengthening the political, value, and development guidance of the teaching staff, the university is taking ideological and political education, spiritual inheritance, and institutional construction as the starting points to promote a long-term effective construction of teacher ethics. The university encourages teachers to foster the aspiration of “devoting themselves to education and contributing to the nation’s strength” and to build a high-quality teaching team. RUC will also learn from and collaborate with peer institutions, implement the spirit of educators to strengthen teachers, and contribute educational power to the nation’s development.

Professor Qin Xuan, a national outstanding teacher and Dean of the Xi Jinping Socialist Thought with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era Research Institute at RUC, delivered the keynote speech. He provided an in-depth interpretation of the essence, significance, and practical pathways of the spirit of educators. In September 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping sent a letter to representatives of national outstanding teachers, elaborating on the spirit of educators unique to China, which has pointed the way for the construction of the teaching team. Qin Xuan stated that the spirit of educators is rooted in China’s excellent traditional culture and is an important component of the Communist Party of China’s spiritual lineage, reflecting the party’s century-long educational and cultural character. Looking to the future, building a strong educational nation requires inheriting excellent culture and the red gene, adhering to the principle of education serving the people, the comprehensive leadership of the party, grounding education in China’s reality, and building a world-class education with Chinese characteristics. Educational reform and innovation must focus on the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education. Teachers should bear in mind, study deeply, and comprehend the spirit of educators, strengthen their beliefs, lead by example, love their students, and be dedicated to the nation.

The event attracted the attention of the leaders and heads of the Party Committee’s Teacher Work Department from 60 Beijing higher education institutions, as well as the responsible persons from relevant units of RUC, the party committee heads of the colleges, the representatives of the party branch secretaries of teachers, and student representatives. The holding of this event is of great significance for promoting the spirit of educators among teachers in capital universities, advancing the construction of the teaching team, and supporting high-quality educational development.