Draft rules alter qualifications to strengthen campus political education
China is considering requiring all college counselors to be members of the Communist Party of China (CPC), according to a draft amendment issued by the Ministry of Education on Tuesday, amid the nation's continuing efforts to strengthen ideological education.
The amendments to the original political requirements for college counselors are aimed at strengthening student management and optimizing counselors' work, the ministry said.
College counselors are responsible for ideological education, class management and providing personal and academic counseling services.
The amendment said every college counselor must be a CPC member and must have received relevant ideological and political education. Previously, anyone with a bachelor's degree or above who obtained a related training certification was qualified.
The proposed requirements say that counselors must also be patriotic and loyal to the CPC and shall not conduct themselves poorly or make statements that are in any way harmful to the national interest and the growth of students.
They should also actively study ideological and political education and related knowledge.
College counselors should carry out socialist core values education and integrate such values into all aspects of the daily management of student services to help shape students' daily conduct, the amendment said.
They are urged to strengthen their communication with students, closely watch students' activities online and offer guidance to public opinion on topics of heated public discussion. They are also required to promote ideological and political education online by taking the initiative to rectify discourse on the Internet.
Each school should provide a college counselor to each department and each year, while at least 70 percent of counselors at each college must be full-time workers.
"Since some students do not pay attention to Marxist values, it is urgent that the Party win them over," Tang Zhongbao, an associate professor at the School of Marxism of Jiangnan University, told the Global Times previously, suggesting creative and entertaining forms of ideological education should be developed to cater to students.
China began to emphasize ideological education at universities in January, when central authorities issued guidelines highlighting the importance of universities in championing Marxism, the Chinese Dream, socialist core values and traditional culture.
The Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Ministry of Education in October called for further spreading and promoting Party ideology at colleges via the Internet. The guidelines also require college teachers to undergo at least 20 hours of ideological education every year.
