Deepening Patriotic Education for College Students from the Perspective of "New Generation in the New Era"

The Significance of Deepening Patriotic Education from the Perspective of "New Generation in the New Era"

(1) Patriotism is the key to the firm ideals and beliefs of the new generation in the times.

President Xi Jinping pointed out: "The most crucial aspect of cultivating new talents for the era is to fortify the spiritual foundation with firm ideals and convictions." Firm ideals and convictions do not emerge out of thin air; they stem from emotional identification, ideological armament, and practical actions. Patriotism encompasses three dimensions: sentiment, concept, and action. Patriotism is a profound emotional attachment to the country, based on sentiment, which fosters a sense of identity, belonging, dignity, and honor towards the nation and its people. This sentiment triggers changes in people's ideological perspectives, gradually establishing a patriotic mindset, and ultimately unifying patriotic emotions and thoughts into action. Cultivating new talents for the era requires a lofty spirit of patriotism, which is also the key to firm ideals and convictions. This is the practical need for patriotic education among university students. Therefore, only by consciously nurturing a spirit of patriotism, firmly believing in the ideals of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and translating love for the Party, the country, and socialism into actions, can university students in the new era grow into reliable, determined, and capable new talents who actively engage in the great practice of Chinese-style modernization.

(2) Patriotism is the essential path for the new generation to achieve growth and success in the era.

Patriotism, though a simple national sentiment, is also the adhesive that unites individuals with the nation, fostering cohesion and development. The progress of the nation depends on the efforts and contributions of every individual, and personal development is inseparable from the solid support of the nation. Patriotism guides the thoughts and actions of the new generation of the era, inspiring students' love for the country and society, their creativity, and sense of responsibility. It is the essential path for the growth and success of the new generation, thereby promoting progress in academic and personal development among college students. In contemporary China, patriotism and love for socialism are consistent. Only by uniting patriotism with love for the Party and socialism can patriotism be vibrant and authentic. Patriotism aids in the cultivation of personal moral qualities, and the spirit of patriotism has a normative and restraining effect on people's behavior. The new generation of the era must love their country, maintain the spirit of patriotism, keep pace with the development of the Party and the nation, to find the right focus in life and the basic principles and historical responsibilities for growth and success amidst the complex social trends and international environment.

(3) Patriotism is the practical need for the new generation to advance national rejuvenation.

Patriotism has been formed in the historical process of the Chinese people over five thousand years defending national unity, saving the nation from crisis, and promoting national development. It is the deepest and most precious spiritual wealth of the Chinese nation. With its rich cultural heritage and profound spiritual roots, patriotism continuously consolidates the consensus of the new generation of the era, awakening and deepening college students' sense of belonging and identity with the country and nation, thereby promoting and practicing patriotic spirit. Additionally, patriotism inspires the new generation of the era to contribute to the development of China's modernization. In the new era, the Chinese Communist Party has inherited and promoted the spirit of patriotism, uniting and leading the Chinese people to emancipate their minds, be confident and self-reliant, adhere to integrity and innovation, achieving great accomplishments and leaps in the new era. On the new journey, college students of the new era need to extensively and comprehensively deepen patriotic education among college students, actively establish patriotic ideals, and with the footsteps of the new generation of the era, strike up a strong and resonant sound to advance on the new journey, gathering tremendous strength.

Realistic Dilemmas of Patriotic Education from the Perspective of "New Generation in the New Era"

(1) The organizational strength for patriotic education in higher education institutions is inadequate.

At present, the majority of universities rely on organizations such as the Youth League Committee to carry out patriotic education, achieving good results. However, some universities need to further enhance their emphasis on patriotic education. The relevant faculty lack the primary awareness of patriotic education and the necessary professional skills. Relying solely on patriotic-themed student activities organized by the Youth League Committee cannot meet the actual needs of students for patriotic education. The atmosphere of patriotic education on campus is not sufficiently strong, leading to a weak sense of patriotism among students. Additionally, patriotic education requires collaboration between universities and multiple departments, as well as coordination among various groups, to form a well-organized and effective system that truly addresses the new trends, actions, and ethos of patriotic education within the institution. Some universities have yet to perfect their organizational structures for patriotic education, including issues such as inadequate setup, insufficient resource integration, unclear responsibilities, and a lack of initiative and coordination, which ultimately affects the effectiveness of patriotic education.

(2) The classroom strength of patriotism education in colleges and universities is insufficient.

The ideological and political course plays a crucial role as the main position and channel in the ideological and political education work in higher education institutions. At the same time, patriotism is one of the main themes of these courses. Currently, patriotism education in universities primarily relies on the ideological and political course "Moral and Legal Foundations," which is characterized by a single form, fragmented content, and a lack of practical application. Theoretical knowledge of patriotism is mixed within various courses and chapters, lacking logical, systematic, and targeted learning, resulting in students' insufficient understanding and in-depth study of patriotic spirit. Additionally, some ideological and political teachers do not pay enough attention to real-world issues, the integration of patriotic spirit into the classroom content is inadequate, the methods are improper, and the exploration of patriotic educational resources is insufficient. The effectiveness of integrating patriotism into classroom teaching is poor, lacking flexibility and liveliness, with some classes being dull and rigid, even adopting a cramming or lecturing style. Some classes also lack sufficient expansion of patriotic spirit content, failing to spark students' interest and emotional resonance, further affecting the collaborative育人effect of patriotism in ideological and political courses.

(III) Insufficient Innovative Power in Patriotic Education in Higher Education Institutions

The rapid development of various network technologies has provided numerous conveniences for colleges and universities to carry out patriotic education. New media platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu are increasingly influencing the learning, work, and life of college students. However, patriotic education occupies a small proportion in online ideological and political education, with most content being mere replication of official information, not tailored to the actual situations of universities, nor echoing the patriotic education content in classroom learning. Additionally, the patriotic sentiments of the majority of teachers and students are not genuinely expressed through new media platforms, resulting in low participation and limited browsing, thus limiting the promotional effect. Furthermore, the construction of patriotic education promotion platforms in universities is lagging, of low quality, lacking innovation, and presenting a single form, which fails to attract college students. The promotion departments within campuses, such as the integrated media center and the online ideological and political education center, have not formed a systematic and academic patriotic education promotion system. The professional team of propaganda cadres is insufficiently equipped, and patriotic education has not yet formed a normalized and long-term institutional framework.

Practical Pathways for Deepening Patriotic Education from the Perspective of "New Generation in the New Era"

(1) Emphasize patriotic education, construct a new development pattern of collaborative education.

The Chinese nation has always possessed a fervent patriotic spirit. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Communist Party of China has strived tirelessly and unitedly, consistently aiming for national independence, prosperity, and the well-being of its people. The core idea of patriotism is a value that every university student must engrave in their hearts. Therefore, young students should love their nation and country, and practice the core socialist values, which is also an important aspect of ideological and political education. President Xi Jinping emphasized the need to continuously create new prospects for ideological and political education in the new era, striving to cultivate more new-era talents who are trusted by the Party, patriotic, dedicated, and capable of shouldering the great task of national rejuvenation. Hence, to cultivate such talents, the first step is to focus on conducting patriotic education. Universities should, according to their actual conditions, adapt measures to local conditions and individual needs, establish and optimize patriotic education mechanisms suitable for their institutions, use ideological and political education to unify and strengthen the spirit, and effectively carry out patriotic education among university students. Family education also plays a crucial role in deepening patriotic education. Parents should cooperate with schools to enhance patriotic education, increase participation in ideological and political education, and foster home-school collaboration. Additionally, it is important to effectively utilize social educational resources, encourage social and external educational organizations to offer specialized courses and activities, and promote the practical activities of patriotic education into a curriculum. Ultimately, this will form a powerful collaborative force among all parties to educate, ideologically shape individuals, cultivate a patriotic sentiment among young students, deeply root it in the heart of every young student, and inspire them to voluntarily dedicate their light and heat to the motherland and give back to society.

(2) Fully leverage the role of ideological and political courses as the main front in patriotic education.

The "Law on Patriotic Education of the People's Republic of China" states that "all levels of schools should integrate patriotic education throughout the entire process of school education, and should do well in and teach well the ideological and political theory courses," which clarifies the value implication of ideological and political courses in the patriotic education of college students. In order to better inherit the patriotic traditions of the Chinese nation, consciously become inheritors, promoters, and practitioners of the patriotic spirit of the new era, and more deeply understand patriotism, it is necessary to maximize the expansion of new ideas and models for teaching ideological and political courses in patriotic education, guiding college students to transform their strong patriotic spirit into the great struggle for national strength and the rejuvenation of the nation, striving to become new generations with responsibility and a sense of mission. On one hand, it is necessary to improve and optimize the content of ideological and political courses with the patriotic spirit of the new era, enhancing the quality and level of these courses. While emphasizing the theoretical knowledge related to ideological and political education, it is important to vividly impart new connotations and significance of patriotic education to college students, thereby further improving the quality of patriotic education. Additionally, using the patriotic spirit as a bond, it is essential to continuously improve and enrich the patriotic knowledge within ideological and political courses, effectively "connecting" them, further scientificizing, systematizing, and theorizing the content of patriotic courses, thereby promoting a more systematic learning of patriotic knowledge among university students and achieving ideal patriotic education effects. On the other hand, it is necessary to innovate the teaching methods and arts of patriotic education within ideological and political courses. In these courses, as the main body of teaching, teachers should first combine the scientific nature of patriotic knowledge with its ideological aspects, focusing on collecting practical materials of revolutionary heroes, model exemplars, and contemporary role models, and appropriately applying them in the classroom to better enhance the educational effect of patriotism. It is also possible to carry out dynamic teaching based on actual conditions and teaching content, presenting the patriotic sentiments and deeds of revolutionary heroes to students through video等形式, stimulating a patriotic emotional resonance among college students, enabling them to better understand the national conditions, inspire a strong will to strengthen the nation, and transform it into conscious actions to realize their life values.

(III) Promote the comprehensive integration of patriotic education into daily ideological and political education

In addition to the patriotic knowledge in ideological and political courses, it is also necessary to integrate patriotic education into daily life and make it a regular practice. Full-time teachers in daily ideological and political education at universities, including counselors and class advisors, should enhance their study of patriotic knowledge, lead by example, and subtly and imperceptibly carry out patriotic education among college students in their daily lives, nurturing their patriotic sentiments and enhancing their patriotic awareness.