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THE FORMATION OF HIGHER PEDAGOGICAL EDUCATION AS AN ELEMENT OF THE SYSTEM OF LIFELONG PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION IN CHINA (THE END OF 70-TH XX C. - THE BEGINNING OF XXI C.)
O. P. Shatskaya
China belongs to one of the ancient civilization in the world. The first educational institutions of European type appeared only after the first ‘opium war’ (1839-1842) in China. The first university was opened in Beijing (Peking) in 1898. The period from 1956 to the end of 70-th XX c. was the ‘close doors’ time for China. Since 1978 ‘the building of Chinese socialism’ began. Chinese teachers started to link the system of education with politics, pedagogy, and culture. The new government aspired to build the conditions for the preparation of world standards [1].
In the article 23 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China (which was accepted in 1982) it is written that ‘the government prepares different specialists who serve the socialism, broaden numbers of intelligentsia, and create the conditions for full display in affairs of socialistic modernization’. All citizens of the People’s Republic of China have the rights for receiving education and are obliged to study (the article 46-th).
Today’s course of China is the quality development of education at all levels; the creation of lifelong educational system is the pledge of success in solving any problem. Teacher training education is the part of socialistic educational system in China. Its aim is to prepare teachers, head masters, teachers of professional educational institutions. Technical professions remain the priority in the higher education structure; pedagogical professions take the second place. According to the normative document «About an enrolment of students in the universities» (1977), the entrants should be not more than 25 years old and to be unmarried, the presence of the certificate of the high school termination is also obligatory. There is the National University Entrance Examination of two directions - humanities and technical in China since 1978 [1; 3]. The interuniversity center of comparative pedagogy was established in 1979. China used the experience of many countries, such as Russia, France, the USA, Germany, and Japan. Therefore educational institutions of different types were founded in the country. The humanities have been brought to technical colleges. Radio, TV, new technical means were used in the process of education later [2].
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There is a three-stage system of pedagogical education: the teachers of primary education are prepared at pedagogical schools; the teachers of incomplete schools - at pedagogical colleges; the teachers of complete schools - at pedagogical universities. It is so-called old system of a pedagogical education. The term of preparation of primary schools teachers was three years in pedagogical schools in 80-th of the last century. The training of pedagogical universities and institutes lasted for four years [8]. The new system does not include pedagogical schools. They were reorganized in high schools. For example, Zhanjiang Normal University in province Guangdong found the high school status in 1991. And it was founded in 1636 and was called as academy, then pedagogical school [10].
After 1990, China has passed from three-stage system of teacher’s preparation (secondary pedagogical education, higher pedagogical education of a special course and a basic course) to two-level one - higher pedagogical education of a special course and of a basic course. The main goal of teacher’s preparation was improvement of educational quality. The following scheme was put in its basis: preparation of new teachers who have not come to work yet; preparation of teachers on service; and further education. Thus the basis of realization of a principle of a lifelong pedagogical education was put [7]. Chinese students had a lot of obligatory subjects during twenty years since 70-th of XX century. Therefore system of credits began to apply to the Chinese higher school in 90-th of XX c., the students had the right to choose some subjects of their own accord [4]. Today teacher’s preparation in the People’s Republic of China is carried out through the higher pedagogical colleges, pedagogical institutes and universities, pedagogical institutes of foreign languages, sports teacher's universities, pedagogical courses, and faculties at some universities which are not pedagogical.
Teacher’s preparation has the following basic subjects in Chinese pedagogical colleges: the Chinese language and literature, history, a foreign language (Russian, English, Japanese, or Korean), physics, chemistry, biology, geography, physical culture, the fine arts, ideologically-moral education, language and literature of national minorities. Those students, who have finished full high school and have successfully passed the National University Entrance Examination, go to study at pedagogical universities. The training term is four years in pedagogical universities. There are correspondence departments, evening universities, and preparatory courses. There are such specialties in teacher training
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universities as pedagogy, elementary education, the vocational education, psychology, educational technologies, the Chinese language and literature, language and literature of national minorities, ideological and political education, history, English language, Russian language, mathematics and the applied mathematics, computer science, physics, biology, geography, physical culture, music, the fine arts, school and preschool education, education of children with deviations in development, management of formation. All students should have teaching practice at schools which belong to teacher training universities [5]. The basic levels of pedagogical education in universities are: a special course (3 years), a bachelor degree (4 years), postgraduate study (preparation of the master), and doctoral studies.
The modern system of a pedagogical education in China consists of pre-service and in-service education. Pre-service education is carried out by pedagogical colleges and universities. In-service education is organized by administrative educational bodies and realized in special educational institutions. The retraining of teachers passes in high schools of improvement of professional skill and perfection institutes. Teamwork of skilled teachers with young teachers (joint researches, the discussion of modern problems in pedagogy, lectures of skilled teachers), preparatory courses, radio- and television courses, self-education etc. also belong to inservice education [4; 6; 9; 10].
The interest to pedagogical education rose at the end of XX century: the system of pedagogical education for the purpose of the preparation of a considerable quantity of teachers for rural primary and high schools was reformed; the privileges were given to those who entered pedagogical universities.
Today the Government of the People’s Republic of China tries to improve the higher pedagogical education qualitatively. The training techniques in pedagogical universities vary, the audiovisual means, new information technologies are more widely used. For last years the list of the basic specialties has been reconsidered, their quantity has decreased. Ideological and political educations of young people in the spirit of patriotism proceeds, the best traditions are used. The Communist Party and Communist Party committees of universities supervise the process of training and the maintenance of education. The receiving of education abroad is prestigious in the People’s Republic of China. Many Chinese pedagogical universities had concluded the agreements of the international exchange of students, post-graduate students and teachers by the beginning of the XXI century. But scientific activity of teacher training
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universities remains on a low level. Foreign teachers are invited to work in Chinese colleges. The modern Chinese government considers that one of the main problems is the rising of universities on world level (projects «211», «985»). In spite of positive results of reform, there are no enough teachers in countryside of China. It shows that the Chinese system of higher pedagogical education requires the further modernization.
References
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2. Боревская Н. Е. О восприятии мировой педагогики в Китае / Современная педагогика, 1991, № 9, с. 28 - 135.
3. Елманова В. К. Высшее образование за рубежом (США, Великобритания, Франция, ФРГ, Япония, КНР): Учебное пособие. - Л.: ЛГУ, 1989, 38-43.
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С. Л. Тихвинский и др.] / отв. ред. М. Л. Титаренко]. - М.: Издательская фирма «Восточная литература» РАН, 1999, с. 474 - 479.
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7. Су Сяохуань. Образование в Китае. Реформы и новшества / Су Сяохуань. - Межконтинентальное изд-во Китая, Май 2002, с. 140-141.
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9. Educaton and science / Comparison by the China Handbook communication. Translated by Zhou Yicheng, Cai Guanping, Liu Hu-Zhang. - Beijing: Foreign language press, 1983. - IV, 243 p.
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