The Secondary Education Of Lijiang Around The Anti-japanese War

Education in Lijiang witnessed its prime around the period of the Anti-Japanese War.Yunnan Provincial Middle School of Lijiang,Lijiang County Middle School,and National Lijiang Normal School were founded during this period,which was rare in a border minority area during years of war.The thriving secondary education in Lijiang during this period was the most logical outcome of favorable social background and conditions.Firstly,school education and modern education in Lijiang started early and underwent rapid development,creating a sound education foundation in a region settled by ethnic minorities.Secondly,the social and economic progress in Lijiang during this period provided an economic guarantee for the development of education.Last but not least,local support and relocation of colleges and universities helped boost the secondary education of Lijiang.The three schools,classified into two types based on the differences in the training goals,were open to graduates from primary or advanced primary schools.Yunnan Provincial Middle School of Lijiang and Lijiang County Middle School provided regular middle school education while National Lijiang Normal School was dedicated to training teaching staff for border areas.Yunnan Provincial Middle School of Lijiang was formerly known as Yunnan Provincial No.3 Middle School established in 1934 and fully funded by the provincial government.Lijiang County Middle School was a locally-run school founded in 1942 and funded by the county government and public donations.National Lijiang Normal School was founded by the Kuomintang Government in 1942 and funded by the central government.In 1949,the three schools were consolidated into Lijiang Regional School,accomplishing their missions in the special period.All three schools managed to update infrastructure and expand scale with concerted efforts from all sectors despite challenges from the Anti-Japanese War.The destiny of schools then highly depended on the management of the head teachers.The fluctuations in teaching quality were closely related to the frequent changes of head teachers.Nonetheless,all three schools performed well thanks to clear training target,proper course arrangements,highly-qualified teaching staff,and adequate management,with the recruitment size and enrolment rate far higher than those of schools in the neighboring regions.The three schools also valued the practical skills in students and guided students to take an active part in Anti-Japanese War propaganda and social practices,promoting the all-round development of students.Development in secondary education in Lijiang drove the society forward.For one thing,the development of secondary education not only provided more students with access to higher education but trained a great number of teachers for local primary schools and elementary education in Lijiang and neighboring regions,boosting the education undertaking of Lijiang;for the other,talents trained by schools contributed to the improvement of national quality of Nakhi people and the development of Lijiang and China.In addition,active participation of schools in the propaganda of the Anti-Japanese War not only motivated teachers,students and local residents to engage in the war but helped shape national bond and patriotism.Nonetheless,the growth of secondary education in Lijiang was faced with limitations such as inadequate fund,unbalanced distribution of education resources,prominent features of the rule of man and improper management,which should be avoided today.