Education, Social Cohesion, and National Development

Education, social cohesion, and national development

-A discussion of educational priorities in China

‘The original functional of educational systems was to cultivate social integrations and cohesion, forging new notions of national citizenship and identity’ (Green, 1997, p. 3). However, postmodernists claim that in the global era nation states are now at a loss how to proceed with national education and even suggest they should stop using education as a political tool. On the contrary, as Green (1997, p. 4) argues, people and skills might be one of the few national resources which are not so globalized, and ‘government may come to regard education as one of the most effective, remaining instruments for national policy’. It may very well be true in the case of China.

Chinese government, when faced the challenges towards its authority from the outside world, have become even keener on education, attempting to transform it into a cure-for-all. Many policies in the past few years, since President Hu adopted a merciful theme for national building, have been associated with or in the name of ‘the formation of a harmonious society’. Several aims were emphasized in both the 10th and the 11th 5-Year Plan for China’s Educational Development (MOE, 2002; MOE, 2007b).

1, Basic education: into the West, into the rural

The shortage of proper educational resource in the west was not that huge concern of the government until the initiation of Western Development Strategy of China. This project, which is essentially aimed at exploring western natural resources including oil and mines to sustain the eastern development, is being carried out under the cover of ‘a harmonious society’ or ‘ a balanced national development’.

Along with the project, job opportunities are provided and work force is in urgent need. Education now has multiple functions. First, it forms an army of trained worker whose participation is crucial to the project. Second, education serves as a shot...