Studies On School Education Policies In The Period Of The Nanking National Government

The period of Nanking National Government is an important part in the history of the Republic of China. It has a decisive position in China's long history. In accordance with the principle of the party-government, the Nanking National Government established the leading position of Chinese Kuomintang. Facing the strong international pressure and challenges, the National Government and the Kuomintang adhered to the fundamental spirit of the Three People's Principles, carried out a comprehensive education reform, inlcuding a relatively systematic process in school education policies, which caused many scholars'attention. Based on the theory of education policy, a deep and systematic study on school education policies of this period has a certain practical significance.Putting forward educational issues is the key element to establish education policies and the basis of education policy formation. Around the period of the May Fourth Movement, the educational reform thoughts in China were maturing gradually, and until the period of Nanking National Government. The educational circles had a more comprehensive understanding of the education phenomenon. Proposer and means of educational issues had the characteristics of diversity. School educational issues covered a wide range, and involved all levels of school education. The researchers'analysis and study of the educational issues in the different historical stages excited the national government's attention which promoted the recognition of educational issues.As an educational legislative activity, the educational administrative decision-making is a process to legalize the education policy. During its early days, the Nanking National government convened the First National Conference on Education and the Second National Conference on Education and established the constitution draft. During the Anti-Japanese War, the National Government convened the Third National Conference on Education. After the war, the National Government held the National Meeting, and enacted the"Constitution of the Republic of China", specifying the development of education. The National Government had held the three national education conferences, legitmizing the school education policies through a legal review process. After the twice constitution draft-making processes, the National Government raised some school education policies to the legal status.The implementation of education policyies was an important part of the Educational Policy Process, including its preparation, its stages and means, and so on.The Ministry of Education, the central education administration, was responsible for the implementation of the general plans. The Ministry of Education actively promulgated the educational administrative regulations, ordered all the localities to obey the instructions. All the localities were required to work out specific measures to popularize the regulations and formulate rules for their implementation. Depending on the temporary need for the development of education in the different stages , the Education Ministry urged all localities to set up the caretaker executive bodies, promptly replenishing the executive power of the specialized agencies for implementation. Localities had actively executed the implementation plans of the Ministry of Education, ensuring the achievement of targets of talents cultivating in all the schools.Nanking National Government attached importance to the role of school education policy and actively promoted the democractic legislation. The relatively systematic school education policy system contained various types and levels of school education. The implementing of school education policies had a kind of micro-management on school education activities, promoting the modern school education reform. School education policies had created an enormous role in promoting the development of education subjects. The differentiation of the education subjects also made education policy process base on multiple disciplines. The National Government regulated the legislative procedure of education and reasonably combining policy implementation resources. The means of implementation has played a variety of roles, school education policies had promoted the establishment of education policy subjects.The decision-makers of Nanking National Government were mostly researchers. The researchers'idealism determined the existence of the idealism in the policy objective, leading to a considerable gap between the results of the implementation and the original school education policies'goals. For the school education policies reflected the strong political motivation and will, normal legislation could not ensure a genuine democratic education, so school education policies had a negative function. The excessive concentration of power had led to one-party dictatorship and personal dictatorship; and coupled with faction dissentions within the KMT, the National government gradually lost its due government capacity, resulting in various social contradictions and conflicts unsolved. The improper means of repression not only intensified the internal contradictions, but also expanded its own opposition. With the change of the state system, the school education policies were forced to be terminalised. Creating an education policy environment of stability and unity and building a harmonious system of education policies can provide an institutional guarantee for school education. Enhancing the communication between researchers and decision-makers, and narrowing the gaps between the two cultures can integrate different types of culture in identification of educational policy issues. Based on the national level, a deep research of the Nanking National Government's school education policies is vey useful for the present state and government that is encouraging the development of social economy, continuing to vigorously improve people's education and livelihood, and reasonably adjusting the educational resources.