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Work on the liquidation of illiteracy is now assuming wider and wider dimensions. Numerous schools and groups for the liquidation of illiteracy are being formed. The slogan: "Every literate person must teach his friend or acquaintance" has become popular...
As yet there are no uniform programmes in Chinese schools. The liberated areas have drawn up new programmes for themselves. The general reorganisation of the programmes is now beginning with the higher schools, then it will be carried out in the secondary schools where primarily it is planned to reorganise the teaching on the social-political sides (history, political education) and finally of natural sciences. In all this it is planned to use the experience of our Soviet schools...
The compilation of uniform educational plans for the schools is as yet complicated. As an example the Ministry of Education points to such a subject as Russian. The demand to make it a compulsory language for instruction in Chinese schools is indisputable, but the Ministry of Education cannot yet include it in the educational plans as a compulsory subject because of the absence of the necessary number. of trained teachers.
Nevertheless, exceptional attention is being paid to the study of Russian despite all difficulties. Thus, in the majority of Peking secondary
It has also been schools the teaching of Russian has already been introduced. introduced in some schools in other large towns. It is taught in part by Russian people living in China as well as by Chinese teachers who have studied Russian in the spécial Harbin institutes, etc.
The study of Russian has been organised now additionally in the Peking Institute of Foreign Languages and also in a number of universities in Peking, in Hunan, Hantung and other provinces. The Sino-Soviet Friendship Society has begun to train teachers of Russian. However, all these measures are far from covering the requirement for teachers who know Russian well.
As yet there is only one Russian textbook. It is used in the elementary schools, in the adult schools and in the higher educational in- stitutions. It is admitted to be very imperfect. Steps are being taken to produce a qualified Russian textbook adapted for educational institutions of various types.
As yet teachers are lacking even for the existing network of schools. It must be taken into consideration that a number of the old teachers are not suitable for employment in the new conditions. Many of them until now have
Now the been under the influence of the ideas of Anglo-American pedagogics. teachers are thirstily seeking for literature which might help to unmask the reactionary nature of these ideas, but such literature practically does not exist as yet in China...
The public education organs are setting themselves a complex task that of effecting direct management of the whole system of state schools and of In effecting state control over the still numerous network of private schools. Peking, out of 600 schools one-third still belong to private persons, missionary organisations, in individual instances to religious communities, etc.; 60 secondary schools, 40 are private. The picture is approximately the same in other towns too...
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The political influence in the former missionary or other private schools is not yet always successfully ensured. A case is known in which two girls from such a school in Shanghai refused to attend a lesson on God's law and were punished for this. Then the Shanghai Public Education Department specially explained that attendance at religious subjects was not obligatory for schoolchildren.
As a rule, Communists or representatives of democratic organisations In a number are placed at the head of schools as directors or their deputies. of schools there are Communist Party organisations which include the pupils of the senior classes. Organisations of the Union of New Democratic Youth are at work.