In the golden autumn, the sweet fragrance of osmanthus filled the air. Tan Tieniu, secretary of the CPC’s NJU Committee, led a team to visit and inspect the School of Marxism at NJU. They were given an overview of the School’s work and participated in a workshop with school leaders and teacher representatives.
Wang Jianhua, the secretary of the CPC committee at the School of Marxism, began by presenting a report on the School’s progress. He highlighted the School’s achievements and major challenges faced by it, with an emphasis on building a team of competent teachers, strengthening Party leadership, reforming ideological and political education, and cultivating talent. Hu Daping, the dean of the School of Marxism, then reported the School’s progress in discipline development, teaching, research, and their efforts align with China’s goal to build key schools of Marxism. He appealed to the CPC’s NJU Committee for more resources and policies to support their mission as a trendsetter in learning, studying, and promoting Marxism in China. Wu Cuili, the deputy dean of the School of Marxism, Shi Yu, the deputy secretary of the CPC’s NJU Committee, and Chen Jian, the deputy dean of the School of Marxism, reported the work progress concerning teaching, students, and administration, respectively.
The School’s teacher representatives, Zhang Ming and Ni Chunna, then presented their reports, sharing their insights on ideological and political education and made a commitment to accountability.
Secretary Tan inquired about the School’s teaching and workplace environment, ideological and political curriculum setting, and situation of graduate employment. He praised the School of Marxism for its outstanding achievements despite limited resources. “The School has shown a strong sense of responsibility and mission by nurturing a group of talented researchers and theorists in Marxism, while also contributing to the development of Marxist Theory Discipline. It has provided NJU students with high-quality ideological and political education, playing an important role in facilitating learning and promoting Marxism,” he said.
Tan expressed his ardent expectations of the School of Marxism and proposed five requirements for the School:
1. Gain a thorough understanding of the importance of effectively constructing and developing the School of Marxism. In a country ruled by a Marxist Party, the construction and development of schools of Marxism is not only a matter of discipline but also a matter of political stance. The University will attach great importance to the development and construction of the School of Marxism. The teachers and students at the School should be proud to be part of the School. The leaders of the School must maintain a holistic perspective of thinking and a problem-oriented approach.
2. Thoroughly study and implement the guiding principle of the 20th National Congress of the CPC. This is the expertise and common political responsibility of the faculty and students at the School of Marxism. Tan called on the School to “have a deep conviction in and advocate the tenets of Marxism”. He stressed that all in the School must play a leading role in better understanding the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the CPC and get down to the education and studying practices. In addition, he suggested the School should serve as the expert in researching, interpreting, and advocating these guiding principles through a professional perspective and play a unique role in facilitating the wave of studying, promoting, and implementing these guiding principles at the University.
3. Continue to promote discipline construction. Tan pointed out that discipline development is a never-ending process. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC has drawn a new chapter and broken new ground in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The faculty members of the School of Marxism give ideological and political lessons to all NJU students and should design more ideological and political courses. The faculty members shall adopt a result-oriented approach and align their efforts with the ideological and political curriculum, aiming to create curricula and courses with innovative forms and informative content while utilizing relevant and targeted teaching methods. The CPC has closely united all ethnic groups, and under its leadership, all ethnic groups have achieved remarkable accomplishments in the journey toward a great modern socialist country. The School’s faculty should contribute to adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and current times by aligning with practical requirements.
4. Build a team of competent teachers. The School should maintain an optimal faculty structure, consistently promoting high moral and ethical standards among its staff. Additionally, efforts should be made to enhance the faculty’s understanding of ideological and political theories. Faculty members must be given sufficient time to conduct academic research while also fulfilling their responsibilities in teaching ideological and political lessons.
5. Further strengthen the School’s administration. The School should always uphold the guiding position of Marxism while firmly conducting reform and innovation to improve efficiency. To support its development, the School should better use resources such as space, maintain its website properly, and share stories about the School, the University, and China through various channels.