Education has dreams

Author: Yuan Weixing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Looking back at the development of Chinese education over the past few decades, while acknowledging its significant achievements, we cannot help but regretfully admit that Chinese education, especially its basic education, still lacks a touch of idealism, failing to critically question and transcend realistic goals. Chinese education's one-sided pursuit of adaptation and coordination with reality has, to some extent, weakened its function of guiding the times and elevating society. The International 21st Century Education Commission proposed the concept of "Education: A Necessary Utopia." "A Necessary Utopia" implies that education must possess a forward-looking spirit. Polish educational philosopher Sokolowski aptly said: "Education that looks to the future expresses the belief that the current reality is not the only reality, and thus cannot be the sole requirement for education. A future-oriented educational spirit transcends the present and aims to co-create a better tomorrow." "A Necessary Utopia" also means that as people become increasingly constrained by pragmatic interests and their lives' meaning is limited by utilitarianism, education, by embodying the highest aspirations for human life, preserves the pursuit of transcendent, non-utilitarian values. At least, there is still hope that education can keep people alert to the pathological and distorted aspects of human existence in reality and balance and correct their purelyistic impulses. People have prejudices against "utopia," largely because of Milan Kundera's words: "They desperately squeeze through the gates of paradise, but when the gates slam shut behind them, they find themselves in hell." However, people forget that it can be given new meaning: discard fantasy, retain ideals; chase dreams, make them real. People forget that "Those who will conquer the world will be the ones who, at first, try to find a paradise in their ideals; in the end, when they fail to find it, they will create it themselves" (George Bernard Shaw). It is from such reflections that we edited the book "Education Has Dreams" to record and express the educational dreams and ideals of educators, especially frontline teachers. We hold the belief that a person without ideals cannot go far. A school without ideals cannot go far either. An education without ideals is even less likely to go far. The ideal realm of education is: becoming an ideal paradise where students enjoy the joy of growth, an ideal stage for teachers to achieve professional development, an ideal platform for schools to enhance educational quality, and an ideal space for the common development of students, teachers, and schools.