Nanjing University Conducts Advanced Training for Drama Teachers from Jiangsu Province

On August 7, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Jiangsu Province College Drama Teachers Advanced Training Course was held at Nanjing University. A total of 68 teachers from colleges and universities in Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Anhui and other provinces and cities participated in the training. This training course is hosted by the Jiangsu Provincial School Aesthetic Education Teaching Steering Committee and hosted by Nanjing University. It aims to fully implement the “Aesthetic Education Immersion Action” of the Ministry of Education and the “Yangtze River Delta College Aesthetic Education Alliance Construction Plan”, strengthen the construction of school aesthetic education teachers, improve the aesthetic education literacy, professional ability and teaching level of college art teachers, promote the innovative development of school aesthetic education, and create a new pattern of aesthetic education in the Yangtze River Delta region with collaborative innovation, obvious advantages, openness and efficiency.

Li Jinquan, second-level inspector of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, and Yang Zhong, executive deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Nanjing University, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

On behalf of Nanjing University, Yang Zhong congratulated the successful holding of the seminar. He explained in depth to the participants the connotation of “the first Nanjing University” and the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important reply to young scholars who returned from studying abroad at Nanjing University, and introduced the remarkable achievements Nanjing University has made in various fields since the full implementation of the “Forging Ahead Action”. He pointed out that aesthetic education, as an important part of the “five-pronged education”, plays an irreplaceable role in moral education and ideological and cultural education. Since the new era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to aesthetic education and has repeatedly emphasized the need to comprehensively strengthen and improve school aesthetic education. Holding a senior seminar for college drama teachers has important practical significance and practical value for promoting aesthetic education in colleges and universities in the new era. He said that Nanjing University’s art disciplines and art education have a long history, with many masters. It has always adhered to the spirit of exploration in teaching and scientific research, and is committed to the cross-integration and innovative development of art disciplines, providing a broad platform for academic research and talent training, especially in the field of drama disciplines and drama education. Many landmark achievements have been made, which have had a wide impact. He hopes that the participating teachers will be able to deepen their understanding and grasp of theatrical art in multiple dimensions, improve their teaching level, stimulate students’ creativity and expressiveness, enhance the ability of the new generation of dramatists to tell good Chinese stories, and make greater contributions to promoting the development of Chinese drama education and even aesthetic education in the new era.

In his speech, Li Jinquan fully affirmed the preparation work of this training class. He reviewed the achievements and development of aesthetic education in schools in Jiangsu Province, and placed high hopes on the role of the training class in strengthening the construction of college drama troupes and promoting the in-depth development of drama education. He said that Jiangsu universities attach great importance to college students’ drama education and drama creation practice activities. Since 2018, Jiangsu Province’s opera masterpieces have been toured in universities and college students’ drama performances have been carried out for teachers and students in universities across the province, realizing the normalization, mechanism and popularization of college drama education and creative practice, forming college drama brand activities and special practices with Jiangsu characteristics, and creating a good situation for the integration of drama education and ideological and political education. He particularly pointed out that the “Yangtze River Delta University Aesthetic Education Alliance” was established under the joint concern and promotion of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education and Anhui Provincial Department of Education. It is a regional platform for universities in the Yangtze River Delta to carry out exchanges and mutual learning around school aesthetic education, learn from each other’s strengths and promote common development. This training class is a pragmatic measure for Jiangsu Province to promote the co-construction and sharing of aesthetic education resources in the Yangtze River Delta region. Finally, he put forward three hopes. The first is to grasp the correct direction and strengthen the educational function; the second is to strengthen teacher development and improve the level of creative performance; the third is to deepen exchanges and cooperation and promote common improvement.

The opening ceremony was hosted by Shi Hongmei, Party Secretary of the School of Arts of Nanjing University. Xiong Hongsheng, Deputy Secretary-General of the Jiangsu Provincial School Aesthetic Education Association, and representatives of teachers and students from the School of Arts attended the opening ceremony.

This training course lasts for three days. The School of Arts of Nanjing University has carefully designed the teaching plan and invited well-known scholars in the domestic drama community and playwrights and directors with rich practical creative experience to give lectures. The aim is to jointly promote the innovation and development of drama education through academic exchanges and experience sharing.