The celebration of Teachers' Day 2019 and the National Conference for the Recognition of Advanced Collectives and Individuals in Education System were held on September 10th in Beijing. Sichuan University Professor Heping Xie, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, was invited to attend the conference and delivered a speech as a representative of the winners of the National Teaching Achievement Award.
In his speech, academician Heping Xie introduced about SCU first-class undergraduate education which hinged upon the reform of classroom teaching. He explained Sichuan University’s theoretical exploration and practical efforts to build a first-class undergraduate education over the past ten years. This new educational model “takes talent training as the basis and undergraduate education as the root of the university. It is dedicated to creating the best undergraduate education. This model will put into practice elite education, individualized education and comprehensive development education, striving to help each individual student to find the education that suits him/herself at Sichuan University.” He said that the key to Sichuan University's success in running undergraduate education is that the leaders of the university attach importance to it and are willing to devote themselves to it. They give all of them emotionally, intellectually and financially to undergraduate education and the students. We believe that whatever we invest in our students is just what we invest in the future of the Party and the country.”
In his speech, Academician Heping Xie has also shared his insight in first-class undergraduate education based upon his teaching of over 30 years and especially his dedication of over 10 years to SCU first-class undergraduate education. “Education is not simply to fill up a bucket but rather to set a fire. Education is the transmission of love and the awakening of one soul to another.” Furthermore, “The cultivation of first-class talents is the soul of a university, and the cultivation of first-class talents is based on first-class undergraduate education.” "There are many tasks to be done to run undergraduate education well, but the core is to treat students as the main body and teaching as the center task.” Finally, Academician Heping Xie proposed that "Undergraduate education is not a matter of day and night. It takes constant efforts over a long period of time and starts with a small step." “Only by running the best undergraduate education can Chinese universities guide our country from a big country of education to a powerful state of education!” Academician Heping Xie’s notions of education and reforming undergraduate education have been greatly complimented and applauded.
