Lesson 2-How successful were the changes made to education provision?

Question 1

Arguments for China’s lack of education was the greatest problem Mao faced when he came to power in 1949.

Answer 1

1. 1949-only 20% had received education
2. Majority of population was illiterate or barely literate
3. CCP lacked skills to modernise

Question 2

Define Pinyin

Answer 2

Modernised form of Mandarin

Question 3

What was the Cultural Revolution?

Answer 3

Mass movement claiming elitists were undermining the government and Chinese society.

Question 3

Four Modernisation

Answer 3

Attempt by Zhou Enlai within the 1970s to modernise: agriculture, industry, defence and education

Question 4

What were changes made in educational provision hoping for?

Answer 4

Raising educational levels of the Chinese people

Question 5

Where did Mao believe learning should come from?

Answer 5

Experience

Question 6

What did Mao reject traditional Chinese education as being?

Answer 6

Too elitist (owned by an elite) and being too influenced by the West.

Question 7

Why did Mao need a more literate and educated society?

Answer 7

For both economic and political reasons.

Question 8

Why did Mao need more literate people for economic reasons?

Answer 8

Economic progress depended on China producing its own technical specialists and Communist ideas could be spread more quickly among literate people.

Question 9

Why does the health sector need to be improved?

Answer 9

A healthy workforce would be more productive and a successful health policy would provide major propaganda opportunities for the Communists.

Question 10

Apart from education, what other key sector needed to improve?

Answer 10

Health

Question 11

In 1949, what were education levels like?

Answer 11

Majority of peasants were illiterate or barely literate

Question 12

By the middle of 1950, what was set up?

Answer 12

A national system of primary education

Question 13

Was the national system of primary education a success?

Answer 13

Yes

Question 14

Figures of successes of national system of primary education system between 1949 and 1976.

Answer 14

1949 = 20% literate
1960 = 50%
1964 = 66%
1976 = 70%

Question 15

What language reform was introduced?

Answer 15

A new form of Mandarin was introduced, also known as Pinyin.

Question 16

When was Pinyin adopted?

Answer 16

1955

Question 17

By how many people was Pinyin adopted by in 1955?

Answer 17

80% of Chinese people

Question 18

2 reasons why there had been no one form of Mandarin that everyone could understand.

Answer 18

1. Pronunciation of Mandarin varied widely from area to area-visitors from one place often could not be understood by speakers in another.
2. Mandarin had no alphabet. Whereas all words in every European language are made up from a basic alphabet (English=26 letters). Written Mandarin was made up of ideograms (sign/picture relating to idea), not letters. Made writing Mandarin extremely difficult since all its words had to be learned separately.

Question 19

What happened to sounds in the adoption of Pinyin?

Answer 19

Were given a particular symbol

Question 20

Benefit of Pinyin.

Answer 20

1. Eased the process of learning
2. Major advances in education by mid-1960s

Question 21

Compare amount of colleges and universities in China in 1949 and by 1961.

Answer 21

1949 = 200
1961 = 1289

Question 22

Why did education become a tragedy after 1966?

Answer 22

CR practically destroyed education as a public activity.

Question 23

What event taking place in 1950s impacted the progress of education?

Answer 23

Korean War led to lots of government spending.
Only 6.4% of government spending was used for education in 1952.

Question 24

How would Mao’s attitude towards intellectuals impact on the improvements in education?

Answer 24

Mao did not trust traditional schooling.
Although Mao pledged to reform education, many elitist elements continued.
Large numbers of students went to study at Russian universities in order to learn technical expertise.

Question 25

When did schools close due to the CR?

Answer 25

1966-70

Question 26

What did the closure of schools due to the CR mean?

Answer 26

Education of some 130 million young people stopped.

Question 27

From 1970, how had Zhou Enlai tried to improve education and what was the result?

Answer 27

With his Four Modernisations.
Damage had been done

Question 28

Even when the education system was not being attacked during the CR, what meant that people still did not receive schooling?

Answer 28

They were away in the mountains and villages.

Question 29

When schools reopened why was it difficult to restore belief in the education system?

Answer 29

Teachers and the curriculum had been openly attacked.

Question 30

What was the purpose of education during the CR?

Answer 30

Simply to serve the revolution

Question 31

According to the census compiled in 1982, 6 years after Mao’s death, what do the figures show about the working population?

Answer 31

Fewer than 1% of the working population had a university degree.

Question 32

According to the census compiled in 1982, 6 years after Mao’s death, what do the figures show about those who received schooling after 16?

Answer 32

Only 11% had received schooling after age of 16

Question 33

According to the census compiled in 1982, 6 years after Mao’s death, what do the figures show about those who had received schooling between 12 and 16?

Answer 33

Only 26% had received schooling between 12 and 16

Question 34

According to the census compiled in 1982, 6 years after Mao’s death, what do the figures show about schooling after 12?

Answer 34

Only 35% had received schooling after 12

Question 35

Compare number of colleges and universities in 1961, 1965, 1976 and 1985.

Answer 35

1961 = 1289
1965 = 434
1976 = 434
1985 = 1016