“From my past experience, being a teacher has been the most precious opportunity and the best choice of my life,” said professor Pang Jinju whole-heartedly.

On the recent commendatory conference for the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award for Education, professor Pang Jinju was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Education this year. During this interview, he talked about his lifelong teaching experience in primary school, middle school, party school and finally, Nankai University.

After graduating from the Nankai Institute of Economics in 1984, professor Pang has been working at the university for teaching and research of political economics and socialist economic theory. He has given lectures about political economics and Chinese economic problems to undergraduates, as well as courses of political economics projects, introduction for Marxism classics and socialism political economics with Chinese characteristics to postgraduates. Professor Pang is a famous scholar with many publications and a respectable reputation in the domestic academic circle. He has always adhered to the simple belief that “It is a teacher’s duty to foster virtue through education” and that a teacher do not need  to boast about his achievements, because his students are his greatest medals.

“The choice for one’s career and course of life is based on numerous factors. However, only when our wishes are in line with the needs of the nation and our people, and our subjective will meet the objective requirements, can we truly fulfill our wills.” Professor Pang mentioned that General Secretary Xi Jinping’s message of “integrating our smaller selves into the greater picture” for Nankai’s teachers and students during his visit held profound meaning and deep feelings.

“The young teachers represent the future of Nankai and shoulder the hope of Nankai and the whole China. Together with middle-aged and young teachers, I will do my best to fulfill my duty of fostering virtue through education, and live up to the expectations bestowed on me,” said professor Pang Jinju in his acceptance speech.

Understanding and serving China

Talking about Nankai, Professor Pang was lost in his thoughts: “I majored in political economics from the Nankai Institute of Economics as a post graduate student, and have continued to work on this major after becoming a teacher. In the past few decades, what has benefited and moved me the most is the fine traditions and academic atmosphere in Nankai.”

“Nankai’s economic major enjoys profound history and a sound reputation. It was the first to advocate the localization and nationalization of economics, and to take in and train post-graduate students in economic major. Nankai’s scholars published the first Finance textbook based on the actual conditions in China, and were the first to launch price surveys and to compile price index, which was later translated into English, gaining a significant influence around the world.” Professor Pang said that Nankai’s purpose of “Understanding and serving China” has long served as a guidance for economic teachers to solve China’s problems based on China’s national condition, to become the pioneers of our times and benefit our fellow countrymen.

Ever since entering Nankai University, Professor Pang has been nurtured and inspired by its rich history and culture. With his deep feelings for the Chinese people, he has never regretted about his decisions of becoming a teacher.

Gathering great teachers to train new talents

“It is really fortunate for me to teach and do research in an university with so many great teachers.”

On arriving in Nankai, Professor Pang was greatly impressed by its great teachers. By the 1980s, Nankai’s economic major has recruited a strong faculty. “Professor Gu Shutang, Cai Xiaozhen, Zhu Guanghua and Jia Xiuyan formed the supervisory group. Teachers responsible for courses and lectures included Professor Teng Weizao, Qian Rongkun, Yang Jingnian, Weixun, Xiong Xingmei, etc. With profound academic background and rich professional knowledge, they had a deep understanding of educational norms and their open-mindedness allowed them to advance educational ideas.”

Apart from lessons in classrooms, postgraduates also participated in high-level academic seminars with their tutors and walked in the academic front. They had also broadened their views in advanced areas of Reform and Opening up through field investigation. “Nankai’s school motto of ‘Dedication to public interests, acquisition of all-round capacity, and aspiration for progress everyday’ requires us to train students into the builders and successors of socialism with rich knowledge, high quality and great capacity. Therefore, our education should attach great importance to actual practices based on social reality.” According to Professor Pang, the Trinity education mode of classroom teaching, campus culture and social practice which Nankai formed through a long term experience should be constantly carried forward and innovated.

Teaching is a teacher’s priority

For decades, Pressor Pang has made great educational achievements and has taken a particular interest in compiling textbooks. His love for education stems from his understanding for the work of the teacher.

According to him, teaching is a teacher’s priority, which means that he should foster virtue through education by combining the teaching of professional knowledge and a healthy personality. “Based on others and my own experience, I require the consistency of quality, action and research in post-graduate students.”

Teachers should study and form their own advanced educational thinking and ideas. “To teach a lesson, a teacher should figure out what to teach, how to teach and who to teach, and integrate correct ideas and values in the teaching process.”

Professor Pang also talked about the appropriate relationship between teaching and research. Teaching is a teacher’s duty, yet a good teaching requires concrete efforts in research. “Research is an arduous cause towards truth. Its achievements hold two functions. Firstly, they can be turned into contents of courses and textbooks to educate student. Secondly, they can serve the social economic development and the people. As teachers, we should prioritize the first function. It is important to publish papers and books, but this is not the core purpose of our job.”

“As teachers, we should show our own feeling and ideas to fully communicate with our students, becoming their bosom friends，”said Professor Pang.

Pang Jinju, winner of the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award for Education of Nankai University

Pang Jinju is a professor of Nankai University and an expert in Philosophy and Social Sciences with connection to the central government. He is currently the director of the collaborative innovation center of the national 2011 plan, the director of the Center of Studies of Chinese Socialism Political Economics of Nankai University established by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, and the director of the Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education. He is the member of the Advisory Committee of the Central Marxist theoretical research and construction project, the director of the National Committee for Education of Ideological and Political Courses of the Ministry of Education and the convener of the Marxism Department of the Social Science Commission of the Ministry of Education. He has successively held posts including the Vice Chancellor and the Vice President of Nankai University, convener of the sixth and seventh appraisal group of Marxist Theory Discipline, chairman of the Committee for Education of economics discipline for colleges and universities of the Ministry of Education, and counselor of Tianjin Municipal People's Government.

Professor Pang Jinju teaches at Nankai University since 1984 and is engaged in economic personnel training, teaching and scientific research for a long time. He has held many courses including political economics for undergraduates and postgraduates, and trained more than 60 doctoral students. Professor Pang has won three first prizes and one second prize of National Education Achievements, and the title of Outstanding Professional and Technical Talents awarded by the Organization Department, the Propaganda Department, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the CPC Central Committee. He has organized the construction of the Economic Foundation Training Base of 13 universities in China, and won the Lifelong Achievement Award for the construction of National Economic Foundation Training Base. He was received by the Party and state leaders for several times, and his deeds were reported by more than a dozen central media.

When serving as the vice president of Nankai University, he assisted the president to deepen reform in education and teaching with all teachers and students under the leadership of the school Party Committee, and promoted the formation of the Trinity education mode of classroom teaching, campus culture and social practice with Nankai characteristics, which had a wide influence in colleges and universities across the country. At Nankai University, he also won the excellent rating in Undergraduate Teaching Evaluation launched by the Ministry of Education.

The textbook Introduction to the basic principles of Marxism and Political Economy which Professor Pang served respectively as principal expert convener and chief editor have been adopted by many colleges and universities around the country. He has also participated in the deliberation of more than 130 liberal arts teaching materials under the charge of the CPC Central Committee and the Ministry of Education, and has made important contributions to the national compilation of Marxism teaching materials.

Professor Pang has organized the Pilot Class for Top-notch Innovative Talents in Economics and the National Political Economy lecture hall, and trained a large number of theoretical and economic talents and teachers. Entrusted by the Ministry of Education, he presided over the formulation of economic professional norms and the construction plan of Marxist theory discipline, and made important contributions to reform of teaching of economics and ideological and political courses in colleges and universities around China.

(Reported by Fang Lan, Translated by Zhilang Ding, Edited by Davide Francolino and JianjingYun)