China bolsters ‘patriotic education’ with new law

BEIJING: China has adopted a new law strengthening so-called patriotic education, state media said, the latest step in President Xi Jinping´s drive to reassert the Communist Party´s ideology in the country´s classrooms.

A crackdown on the highly lucrative world of for-profit private tutoring in 2021 was also seen as part of efforts to reassert ruling party control over the education system. The moves banned tutoring firms from hiring overseas teachers, with critics saying it was cutting off Chinese children from outside influences.

The new law, which comes into effect on January 1 and was approved on Tuesday, will “strengthen patriotic education in the new era” and seek to impart a “patriotic spirit” in China´s youth, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.

A Xinhua commentary hailing the law´s adoption by Beijing´s top lawmaking body said that education had been “facing challenges” recently. “Some people are at a loss about what is patriotism,” the commentary read.

It attacked “the influences of some social thoughts, such as historical nihilism” -- a term often employed by Beijing´s leadership to condemn accounts that run contrary to official rhetoric about the party.