On the morning of September 10, the Working Conference for Teachers and the Celebration Ceremony for the 40th Teachers’ Day were held at Shanghai Party Institute (Shanghai Administration Institute) (hereinafter collectively referred to as “SPI (SAI)”) to study and implement the guidelines from Xi Jinping’s important speeches and instructions made on the work of Party schools, strengthen the professional ethics and competence of teachers, and promote development of high-quality professionals. ZENG Jun, Executive Vice President of SPI (SAI), attended and addressed the conference. XIE Genhua, Vice President of SPI (SAI), presided over the conference. LUO Feng, Vice President of SPI (SAI), also attended the conference.

At the conference, five teacher representatives made exchanges and speeches on its theme. Professor ZHAO Gangyin, Director of the Department of Party Building, having been engaged in the work of Party school teachers for many years, shared his insights on relevant work from the perspective of “how Party school teachers ‘establish themselves’, how they become ‘extraordinary’, and how they ‘succeed’”, and proposed that Party school teachers should be “practical, solid, truthful and honest.” Associate Professor SUN Ying, Deputy Director of the Department of Economics and Management, discussed the standards and requirements of “how to be a qualified Party school teacher” based on her working experience in teaching, research and consultation. YE Lan, Associate Professor of the Department of Public Administration, focusing on the spirit of educators, talked about how Party school teachers carry forward the excellent qualities of “dedication, inheritance, humility, purity, and passion” and cultivate their professional ethics and competence. WANG Chunying of the Department of Economics, from the perspective of a postdoctoral teacher who stayed to work at SPI, reviewed her insights and experience since joining SPI, and put forward the goal of “establishing oneself with morality, constantly improving political awareness and moral level, staying true to the original aspiration, and enhancing the ability to foster talent and contribute wisdom to the Party.” ZHOU Quan, a new faculty member of the Department of Scientific Socialism, analyzed the political, value and practical basis for Party school teachers to practice the spirit of educators, and expressed his attitude and determination to “strive to be an excellent Party school teacher.”

ZENG Jun pointed out in his speech that it is necessary to further study and implement the guidelines from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speeches and instructions made on the development of the workforce of teachers, especially of Party school teachers, further strengthen their sense of honor, mission and responsibility, and make greater achievements in staying true to the founding mission of Party schools of “fostering talent and contributing wisdom to the Party.”

ZENG Jun emphasized that Party schools are directly run by the Party, and Party school teachers “are directly led by the Party.” Party schools are “unusual in five points”: Since “they have unusual nature, objects, and tasks”, “their requirements for Party school teachers and the efforts put into the development of the workforce of Party school teachers should also be unusual.” Party schools should follow the strictest political, academic, teaching, and management standards to ensure that they always keep in mind their original aspirations and fulfill their missions.

ZENG Jun proposed that all teachers at SPI should strive to become high-quality Party school talent. First, Party school teachers should have strong political consciousness, appreciate the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the CPC Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era, improve their consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core and keep in alignment, enhance their confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, firmly uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping’s core position in both the CPC Central Committee and the Party as a whole and firmly uphold the CPC Central Committee’s authority and its centralized, unified leadership, and keep in line with the Central Committee in thinking, action and political orientation. Second, Party school teachers should have firm beliefs, be firm in their Marxist belief and their confidence in the inevitable victory of socialism, and constantly enhance their confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, “consistently pursuing our way.” Third, Party school teachers should be professionally competent, delve into teaching, research and consultation, have a broad vision, profound knowledge and accomplishment, solid foundation, and continuous improvement, strive to give wonderful lectures, produce more high-quality masterpieces, and excellently fulfill the duties of “fostering talent and contributing wisdom to the Party.” Fourth, Party school teachers should uphold good conduct, vigorously carry forward the style of work of honesty and integrity, rigor and pragmatism, unity and friendship, and high-spirited and positive image, concentrate on scholarly research, sincerely pursue the way, and carefully educate people. Teachers should win respect with noble professional ethics and competence, show the good image of Party school teachers, and truly achieve “honesty and self-discipline within the rules, proper words and deeds, and fair interpersonal skills.”

As ZENG Jun said, SPI will further fulfill its responsibilities and promote the cultivation of high-quality professionals. The first is to create a fair and just environment for teachers to inherit and carry forward the fine work tradition. The second is to actively strive for more resources, creating good conditions for teachers in innovative projects, talent projects, and inter-school cooperation, among others. The third is to effectively enhance the sense of honor of teachers, highlight the central role of main business and responsibility, and strive to provide measures in such aspects as famous teacher projects and young teacher training.

Other participants in the event included Level-II inspectors, all other teachers, postdoctoral researchers, and principal persons in charge of all departments.