During the two sessions of the National People's Congress in 2024, a far-reaching proposal has attracted widespread attention: Academician Pan Fusheng, a deputy to the National People's Congress, proposed that the talent evaluation system should be reformed, and the excessive reliance on the "first degree" should be abandoned, and the selection and use of talents should be based on ability. This proposal aims to break the blind worship of academic qualifications and promote social equity and justice.
Academician Pan Fusheng's proposal directly points to one of the major shortcomings in the current social and educational fields: the concept of the supremacy of academic qualifications. In the job market, many recruitment conditions focus first and foremost on the candidate's academic background rather than his or her actual abilities and potential. This phenomenon not only limits the diversity of talents, but also exacerbates social inequality.
Academician Pan Fusheng's proposal is a challenge to the current educational evaluation system, and it is also an update to the concept of talents in the whole society. He suggested that college enrollment, recruitment and employment should be included in the reform of education evaluation and talent evaluation in the new era, and be ability-oriented, rather than a single academic standard. This view was supported by Liu Xiuyun, another deputy to the National People's Congress, who also made a similar suggestion, stressing that the relevant state departments should find out all kinds of recruitment information as soon as possible and standardize the setting of recruitment thresholds.
On a deeper level, this recommendation goes to the heart of educational equity and social justice. In today's society, education is seen as an important way to change one's destiny, but excessive worship of academic qualifications and an unreasonable education evaluation system can become an obstacle to social mobility. By moving away from the idea of the primacy of academic qualifications, we can provide more people with opportunities to showcase their abilities, thereby contributing to the overall progress and diversity of society.
At the practical level, this reform faces considerable challenges. First of all, it is necessary to update and improve the talent evaluation mechanism to ensure that the competency-oriented evaluation system can not only effectively identify talents, but also prevent abuse and misuse. Second, there is a need to change society's stereotypes about academic qualifications, which will take time and sustained effort. At the same time, there is a need to incorporate more skill-building elements into the education system to meet society's demand for diverse talents.
To sum up, the suggestions of Academician Pan Fusheng and other deputies are not only a challenge to the current education system, but also an update of the concept of talents in the whole society. By moving away from the idea that academic qualifications are primary, we can promote educational equity, promote social justice, and ultimately achieve overall social progress and diversity. This is not only an educational reform, but also a major change in social attitudes.