The General Council of Science Education Committee of China Association of Higher Education (CAHE) sponsored by the Science Education Committee, undertaken by Lanzhou University, was held at LZU on August 12. More than 120 representatives gathered in Lanzhou from over 50 universities, the Department of Higher Education as well as the Assessment Center, Ministry of Education, the Planning Bureau of the National Natural Science Foundation, the Higher Education Press, Higher Education of Sciences, the Zhihuishu website which is the network operator of the College Curriculum Sharing Alliance in the eastern and western China. Attendees discussed the reform and development of Higher Education under the new situation.
Wang Cheng, president of LZU, Zhang Daliang, director of the Department of Higher Education, Zhou Aijun, deputy director of the Assessment Centre of the Ministry of Education, Wu Aihua, director of the Science and Engineering Office, Meng Xianping, former director of the Planning Bureau of the National Natural Science Foundation, academician Gao Song, vice president of Peking University, Wang Yiqiu, former executive vice president of Peking University , Fang Xingui, vice provost of Peking University, Yan Jianhua, vice president of Zhejiang University, Zheng Zhiming, vice president of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Duan Xianzhong, vice president of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Song Maoping, vice president of Zhengzhou University, Li Bin, vice president of Northeast Forestry University, Tu Qingyun, assistant to president of Beijing Normal University, Chen Jianqun, assistant to the president of Nanjing University, Chen Xiaoping, director of the Science and Engineering Division of the Higher Education Press, Li Shuo Hao, editorial director of Higher Education of Sciences, An Lizhe, vice president of LZU, were present at the opening ceremony presided over by An Lizhe.
Wang Cheng, on behalf of LZU, expressed warm welcome to the distinguished guests and delegates and extended congratulations on the convening of the meeting. He recalled that the "National Forum on Work in Higher Education" in 1990 and “Seminar on the Higher Education Development and the National Science Talent Training Base Construction in the Past Two Decades" in 2012 were both held at LZU, spoke highly of the two meetings, and extended sincere thanks to the Ministry of Education, the Science Education Committee of CAHE and colleagues for their recognition of and trust to science education of LZU. He welcomed more valuable advice on science education of LZU from delegates and expressed willing to join hands for a healthy and orderly development of higher education of sciences in China.
Zhang Daliang delivered a speech entitled "Development of Higher Education of Sciences by Reform and Innovation" and explained three aspects in detail, namely "ideas and objectives of higher education reform under new situation", "the current main task of undergraduate education reform and innovation", “key tasks of Higher Education of Sciences reform in the 13th Five Year Plan". According to him, the next five-year period is critical for China to build a moderately prosperous society, which urgently needs personnel support in higher education of sciences; innovation and entrepreneurship should serve as the important starting points to reform education and improve personnel training in current and future periods. He stressed that innovation and entrepreneurship should be guided by the education philosophy of "three all" which is for all students and all teachers and runs throughout the entire personnel training process.
Gao Song made the “Report on the Work of Science Education Committee of CAHE from 2014 to 2015”; Prof. Chen Xiaoyu from the School of Education of Peking University on behalf of reform research group of the higher education of sciences made the "Research Report on Higher Education Reform"; Wang Yiqiu introduced the evolution and application of applied science education and shared his understanding of its present situation and future development in his "Reflections on the Applied Sciences"; Liu Weisheng, director of the Teaching Affairs Department of LZU, explained LZU’s efforts in reforming undergraduate education in recent years; Ge Xin, manager of the Zhihuishu website of the College Curriculum Sharing Alliance in the east and west, talked about the educational concept and situation, faculty development, teaching methods and educational influence with new technology in his speech "Gathering Power to Change Education"; Li Shuohao gave the account of the current situation and challenges of the press; Zhou Aijun, briefed the participants of the "Engineering Education Accreditation" and shared his thoughts about " carrying out professional certification of applied sciences"; Wu Aihua made a summary of the meeting, and in response to some questions of the deputies on the " professional certification of applied sciences", briefed the participants on the purpose, meaning and principles of conducting professional certification of applied sciences as well as the initial program and recent arrangements, emphasized the principle to "lay good foundation, strengthen the application, facilitate interdisciplinary research, stimulate motivation and interest, conduct distributary training, and pursue classified development ".
During the meeting, chairmen of the general council made reports on the regulation amendments, the establishment of Board of Supervisors and its candidates, as well as personnel adjustments including executive director and deputy secretary general. Delegates in different groups made exchanges and discussions on "Research Findings of Higher Education of Sciences Reform (undergraduate) and Policy Recommendations" and "Professional Certification Program of Applied Sciences (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry)". In the open dialogues, delegates reached broad consensus on China's Higher Education Development and personnel training, especially the professional certification of applied sciences by referring to the report and actual situations. This meeting will have a positive impact on the future development of China's Higher Education, and further improve the work of professional certification of applied sciences, laying a good foundation for training quality talents of sciences in higher education.
(Translated by Li Yafeng; proofread by Sissi Xu)
