Measures for the Management of On-campus Extracurricular Reading Materials for Primary and Secondary School Students

Promulgation Date: 2021-3-31
Title: 教育部关于印发《中小学生课外读物进校园管理办法》的通知
Document Number:教材〔2021〕2号
Expiration date: 
Promulgating Entities:Ministry of Education
Source of text: http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A26/moe_714/202104/t20210401_523904.html

Article 1: These measures are drafted so as to enrich the content of students' reading, expand reading activities, regulate the management of extracurricular readings on campus, prevent problematic reading materials from entering the campus (including kindergartens), and give full play to the educational function of extracurricular reading materials.

Article 2: "Extracurricular readings" as referred to in these Measures refer to formal publications (including digital publications) that are brought onto campus for primary and secondary school students to read, other than textbooks and study aids.

Article 3: The national department for the administration of education is responsible for drafting policies related to on-campus extracurricular primary and secondary reading materials, clarifying standards and requirements for recommendations. Provincial administrative departments for education are responsible for comprehensive guidance and management of efforts on extracurricular reading materials on-campus. Prefecture-level city and county-level administrative departments for education should have a full grasp of the situation of extracurricular reading materials on campus and be responsible for oversight and inspections of on-campus extracurricular reading materials. Primary and secondary schools are to do a good job of recommending and managing extracurricular reading materials based on actual needs.

Article 4: The recommendation of extracurricular reading materials in primary and secondary schools must comply with relevant national laws and regulations, and adhere to the following principles:

Directionality. Persist in people-oriented education, strict political gatekeeping, and strict examination the value orientation of extracurricular reading materials, to help students become idealistic and capable people ready to rise to the new era.

Comprehensiveness. Adhere to the "five education" simultaneously, focusing on the overall development of students, centering around core literacy, closely linking students' thinking, learning, and actual life conditions, to satisfy the reading needs of primary and secondary school students in areas such as moral education, intellectual education, physical education, aesthetic education, and labor education, and to comprehensively develop education to raise one's caliber.

Appropriateness. Match the level of cognitive development for primary and middle school students, and satisfy the study needs and reading interests of students at different stages. The extracurricular reading materials should use environmentally-friendly [green] printing, and be suited protecting the eyesight of youths and children.

Diversity. Consider the subjects, genres, themes, countries of origin, styles, and forms of expression of the extracurricular reading materials, to run the gamut from ancient to modern, Chinese and foreign.

Moderation. Primary and secondary schools and teachers should strictly check and control the quantity of recommended extracurricular reading materials based on educational and teaching requirements.

Article 5: Extracurricular reading materials on campus must meet the following basic standards:

Thematic clarity. Embody the main themes, lead new fashions, emphasize the promotion of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era, pass on red genes [meaning transmit the revolutionary spirit], promote the spirit of our people, the spirit of the times, and the scientific spirit, demonstrate feelings for family and country, social concern, and personal cultivation, expand international perspectives, and cultivate awareness of the rule of law.

Positive content. Selected materials are to be positive and uplifting, reflecting new achievements in economic and social development, new scientific and technological developments, and outstanding achievements in human civilization. with high value in areas such as the humanities, society, science, and art. Authors of selections are to have a positive appraisal of history and a good social impact.

Strong readability. Elegant prose, fluent expression, using simple language to explore deep concepts, and being inspiring and interesting.

Intellectually stimulating, and imparting wisdom. Able to stimulate students' curiosity, imagination, and creativity; increase their knowledge, and increase their ability to find and resolve problems, increasing their overall character.

Article 6: Publications that violate the relevant provisions of the "Regulations on the Administration of Publications" or have any of the following circumstances must not be recommended or selected as extracurricular reading materials for primary and secondary school students:

(1) Goes against the Party's line, principles, and policies; slanders and vilifies Party or state leaders, heroes, and model workers; or comically fictionalizes party history, national history, and military history;

(2) Harms the nation's honor and interests, or contains content that is anti-China, insults China, or vilifies China;

(3) Leaks state secrets or endangers national security;

(4) Endanger national unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity;

(5) Has content that violates religious policies or promotes religious teachings, doctrines and canons;

(6) Has content that violates ethnic policies, incites ethnic hatred or ethnic discrimination, undermines ethnic unity, or does not respect ethnic customs and habits;

(7) Advocates erroneous views such as egotism, neoliberalism, historical nihilism, or has an ideological tendency to obsequiously embrace all things foreign;

(8) Has vulgar, low-brow, or coarse tendencies, subpar or unhealthy thinking; promotes supernatural power, mysticism, superstitions about ghosts and gods; or has problems in its value orientation such as obscenity, pornography, violence, cults, gambling, drugs, inducing suicide, abetting crime, and so forth；

(9) Insults or slanders others, or infringes on others' lawful rights and interests;

(10) has scientific errors;

(11) Inserts commercial advertisements or covert commercial advertisements or improper links in violation of rules; or uses language such as "recommended by the Ministry of Education" and "designated by new curriculum standards";

(12) Other violations of public order and good customs, moral standards, laws and regulations, and so forth; causing a negative social impact.

Article 7: The school is the entity responsible for recommending extracurricular reading materials on campus and is responsible for organizing the work of selecting and reviewing the school's extracurricular reading materials.

Article 8: In principle, recommendations for extracurricular reading materials are to be made once every academic year. The procedure for recommendations should include preliminary selection, evaluation, confirmation, and filing. Schools are to organize management personnel, classroom teachers, and library management personnel to put forward a preliminary selection catalog; subject groups are responsible for reviews, focusing on the suitability of reading materials selected from the catalog of recommendations approved by the state, and comprehensively checking other reading materials in accordance with to the principles, standards and requirements for recommendations, and put forward comments; the schools are to organize a special team responsible for reviews and gatekeeping, coordinating overall quantities and categories, confirming the outcome of recommendations, announcing them and reporting them to the administrative department of education for filing.

For smaller schools in underdeveloped areas, recommendations may be made by higher administrative departments of education.

Article 9: The catalog of recommended extracurricular reading materials on campus is to be disclosed to students' parents and adhere to the principle of voluntary purchase; it is forbidden to directly or indirectly compel the purchase of extracurricular reading materials, and schools shall not organize unified purchases.

Schools should do a good job of guiding parents who purchase extracurricular reading materials outside the catalog or recommendations.

School library purchases of extracurricular reading materials are to be conducted in accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Primary and Primary School Library (Book Room) Regulations".

Article 10: Strengthen the management of extracurricular reading materials entering campus through other channels.

Extra-curricular reading materials must not be sold on campus by any unit or individual through means such as holding lectures, training, or other such activities.

The school should clarify the requirements for operating and managing campus bookstores. Campus bookstores should establish mechanisms for reviewing reading materials on campus, and strictly implement the principles, standards, and requirements of these Measures.

Schools should clarify the source of the donated extracurricular reading materials, and the school or the administrative department for education at the level above is to conduct a review and check to clarify that they meet the value orientation and suitability gatekeeping requirements.

Article 11: Primary and secondary schools should vigorously encourage students' love of reading, reading good books, and being good at reading; and reading festivals and reading corners may be set up to optimize the campus reading environment and promote the construction of scholarly campuses. Pay attention to the development of diverse forms of reading activities, increasing students' interest in reading, and cultivating positive reading habits. Give full play to the active role of parents in students' extracurricular reading, and create a positive atmosphere of home-school collaborative education. Establish mechanisms to incentivize reading and encourage local administrative departments for education to include units and individuals that make outstanding contributions to the construction of scholarly campuses into relevant commendations and awards, and schools should employ appropriate forms of commending teachers and students with outstanding performance in reading activities.

Article 12: Establish supervision and inspection mechanisms. Schools should strengthen the management of extracurricular reading materials brought on campus by students, to promptly and effectively address problematic reading materials, and eliminate their negative impact. County-level administrative departments for education are to establish a system of reporting and filing on-campus extracurricular reading recommendations, with clear channels for societal and public oversight. Prefecture-level city's administrative departments for education are to periodically carry out spot checks of recommended on-campus extracurricular reading materials. Provincial-level administrative departments for education should fully understand and take hold of the on-campus extracurricular reading material situation and carry out special oversight and inspections as needed. All levels of departments for education oversight and guidance should include situations related to extracurricular reading materials on-campus in the scope of their oversight and guidance.

Article 13: In any of the following circumstances, the administrative departments of education are to order rectification, and give punishments in line with the severity of the situation in accordance with laws and regulations; where it is necessary to pursue other disciplinary or legal responsibility, it is to be transferred to the competent departments for handling in accordance with discipline rules and laws.

(1) Recommendations of extra-curricular reading materials on campus were not organized as provided;

(2) On-campus extracurricular reading materials do not comply with the principles, standards, and requirements of these Measures;

(3) Students were compelled or indirectly compelled to purchase extra-curricular readings;

(4) Took requests, or sought improper benefits;

(5) Relevant administrative departments and their staff interfered with the recommendation of extracurricular reading materials in violation of regulations.