Youth Law Court - Selected Legal Education Materials (Selected Legal Education Materials)

Author: Liu Dongfeng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: When the manuscript of The Young People's Legal Hall was completed, it coincided with the implementation of the newly revised Compulsory Education Law of the People's Republic of China. The promulgation and implementation of this law marked the beginning of balanced development in China's education sector. Scientifically allocating educational resources to achieve balanced distribution ensures that every school-aged child has equal opportunities to receive compulsory education. This has been the first time in the history of the People's Republic to achieve such balanced development. In addition to the concept of balanced development, the new Compulsory Education Law contains three important new provisions: first, schools cannot rank students based on scores or publish their academic performance; second, it prohibits the existence of any form of "key schools" or "key classes" and encourages renowned teachers to teach at under-resourced schools; third, it strictly prohibits extra classes during holidays, and teachers who provide tutoring outside of working hours will be considered unprofessional. It can be said that the implementation of this law will bring about new shocks to China's basic education.
The idea of writing this book originated from my daily work. I often hear my colleagues discussing topics like "governing schools and education according to law," and everyone is enthusiastic and well-spoken. However, when I compare these discussions with China's Education Law, Compulsory Education Law, Teacher Law, and Law on the Protection of Minors, I realize that many incidents we frequently encounter or overlook in our surroundings and educational practices are, to varying degrees, infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of young people! The only reason many people haven't realized this is because, in our eyes, children are just children—scolding them a bit is enough to solve the problem. This led to the initial intention of "making a mess"—writing a book on children's rights from the perspective of young people, with high aspirations, a unique angle, a fresh viewpoint, and strong readability.
When I shared this idea with friends in the industry and the media, some were worried that it might cause chaos. In other words, if one day children suddenly stood up to us and said, "You have violated my rights!" wouldn't that be an embarrassing situation? Our response is: when Pandora's box is opened, unexpected things may occur. But we must clearly recognize that if children truly begin to advocate for their rights collectively, the "blame" does not lie with those who "made a mess," because the mess has long existed. Children's conscious advocacy for their rights should be seen as an important part of school legal education, as an awakening of legal awareness, and as progress in human civilization.
Thus, I invited my colleagues—Ye Lijiao, Liu Xiaowei, Fan Rongbo, Wu Yaqing, Ge Yirong, Zhang Zhizhong, He Licao, Yang Hongyun, Li Hong, Liu Fengyun, Li Yue, Wang Ting, Zhang Shujing, Wu Jinzhi, and others—to collect over 100 cases and select 99 of them (all names in the cases are pseudonyms). We then began the writing process. However, when we actually started writing, it turned out to be much more challenging than we had imagined.
First, we faced professional difficulties. The editors are not legally trained and work in basic education, so we relied on the internet and consulted professionals. Sometimes, analyzing a single case required multiple opinions, which posed a significant challenge in terms of both energy and expertise.
Second, there was a conflict between teaching responsibilities and writing. Since I worked full-time with a heavy workload, I often had to interrupt my writing when new tasks came in, so I had to make the most of my spare time and start writing during holidays.
Some of the cases in this book were selected from online sources. During the writing process, we received guidance from some legal professionals, including lawyers, judges, university law professors, and publishers. Special thanks go to Professor Chu Hongqi of Beijing Normal University and his outstanding student, Jiang Xuemei, for their meticulous guidance. Professor Chu not only provided many valuable suggestions for the book but also kindly wrote the preface. Professor Jiang Xuemei's review of the book was particularly thorough, reflecting the rigorous academic style of a renowned institution. Mr. Kang Xiaoyue, a seasoned lawyer from Shenzhen, also contributed significantly to the review and revision of the book.