A Historical Review Of The Ministry Of Higher Education In The 1950s

At early period of the founding of the People's Republic of China,the reform of higher education,playing an dominated role in educational reform,was brought together the leaders in higher education,represented by Ma Xulun,Yang Xiufeng and Jiang Nanxiang.The Ministry of higher Education,after the budding period of the North China higher Education Commission,was independent from the Ministry of Education until the end of 1952.The foundation of the Ministry of higher Education,which aimed to promote the development of higher education and cultivate talents in industrial construction for the "first Five-Year Plan",was based on the the Soviet Union's educational model and the needs of domestic higher education management,and learn from the construction of higher education in liberated areas and the reform conducted by the Ministry of Education.The development of the Ministry of higher Education was interrupted in 1958 because of complicated reasons,such as Great Educational Revolution.However,it gained achievements in 1950s through the promulgation of laws and regulations,the efficient implementation of policy and the communication between the demonstration school and the general ones,which can be summed up into six aspects:first,it promoted the establishment of segmented administrative system and the internal organization featured in university-department-teaching and research section;second,it led twice nationwide adjustments among college and department to reverse the uneven distribution;third,it unified teaching plans,perfected teaching methods and process,as well as improving quality of teaching organization and leadership,on the basis of standardizing enrollment and curriculum recompilation;fourth,by putting secondary professional schools under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of higher Education,the status of secondary vocational education has been enhanced in essence and effectively meet the huge demand for talents in industrial construction;fifth,promoted the implementation of educational exchange under the tide of comprehensive study of the Soviet Union;sixth,recruited graduate students has laid a good foundation for the cultivation of scientific research talents.The reform of higher education under the leadership of the Ministry of higher Education has not only established a completely new leadership system of socialist higher education,but also trained a large number of construction talents.Its twists and turns reflect the linkage relationship between political and economic factors and educational laws;reflex the resource game between basic education and higher education and also warning later generations to balance historical heritage and innovation of the times in the education reform.