Transformative Principles and Strategies of Education in China During the Cultural Revolution

This article attempts to explore the aims, principles and strategies of education adopted in China during the period of Proletarian Cultural Revolution which lasted for a decade (1966)(1967)(1968)(1969)(1970)(1971)(1972)(1973)(1974)(1975)(1976).More than four decades have passed since its formal annulment, it is still generating strong opinions for and against.Some approve it for its agenda of radical social and educational transformation whereas others critique it as source of social, economic and political disasters in the country.Instead taking side, this paper attempts to present the theoretical premises and practices adopted in that period by using the authentic documents published by the Chinese Communist Party and the government.It uses the articles from Peking Review (which later became Beijing Review) of the same period as the primary sources, for it is the authoritative organ of the party.The analysis of these and other materials leads the writer to the conclusion that the education of that period was trial based and strictly guided by Marxist Leninist socialist principles and in many ways marked a radical departure not only from the old Chinese system of schooling but also from the contemporary pedagogic practices around the world.