Issues and Countermeasures of Student Party Branch Work in Higher Education under the Context of Integrated Education ()
1. Introduction
The China Education Modernization 2035 proposes that “running special education well, promoting full coverage of education for school-age children and adolescents with disabilities, and comprehensively promoting inclusive education” is an important path to achieving equalization of basic public education services. It is also one of the ten strategic tasks for educational modernization that is based on the present while having a long-term perspective (Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, n.d.).
Equal access to education represents respect and protection for college students with disabilities. Only by safeguarding their right to education can educational equity be more comprehensively achieved. Higher special education is a crucial component of higher education, and its educational outcomes are pivotal to educational equity, social justice, and the well-being of disabled individuals in China, as well as to the realization of educational modernization and the struggle to build a modern socialist powerhouse in all respects (Wang, 2022). University student party branches need to adhere to the concept of “integration of disabled and non-disabled”, combining educational management with the promotion of services for the disabled to achieve the joint development of grassroots party building and integrated education for special students.
Regarding the current working mechanisms and construction of student Party branches in colleges and universities, it is difficult to implement the concept of “integration of students with and without disabilities” in practical work. Visually impaired college students generally experience low acceptance of ideological and political education, lack enthusiasm for participating in activities, and face learning difficulties (Gai & Wang, 2022). Exploring the construction of Party branches in the context of inclusive education can better leverage the educational function of Party branches, promote the better development of special students, and simultaneously enhance the vitality of grassroots Party organizations in colleges and universities, providing reference value for the construction of inclusive education in schools.
In view of this, this study extensively reviews and analyzes domestic and international literature related to the ideological and political education and career development of disabled college students, comprehensively sorts through existing documents and literature on the construction of college Party branches, and thereby identifies the problems and support strategies in the work of college student Party branches in the context of inclusive education. This further enriches research on ideological and political education for college students in inclusive education.
2. Prominent Issues in the Party Building Work of College Student Party Branches under the Background of
Inclusive Education
As a bridge and tie closely connecting with students, the Party branch in colleges and universities serves as a frontline position for guiding university students to study hard, make progress through unity, and grow up healthily. Through case interviews, surveys, and other forms of research, as well as existing literature reviews, the author conducted in-depth analyses from multiple perspectives and found that disabled university student Party members, as a special group within the development of Party branches in colleges and universities, face numerous practical difficulties in receiving ideological and political education and during their career development.
1) Issues in Party Branch Organizational Construction
First, under the background of inclusive education, the establishment of student Party branches has failed to adapt to new developments. The traditional organizational structure of Party branches has not been updated in a timely manner. Coupled with differences in student backgrounds and needs, the traditional organizational structure may lead to poor information communication and effective coordination challenges. Therefore, it may not be able to meet the new educational demands.
Second, Party branch secretaries and committee members are primarily part-time positions held by counselors and class advisors, with only a few having backgrounds in related fields. Additionally, the updating of inclusive education knowledge is not timely, unable to keep pace with the development of inclusive education. This easily leads to a mismatch between the professional development and needs of inclusive education students and insufficient capabilities, especially in handling special educational needs and cross-cultural communication skills, which affects the role of Party branches in inclusive education.
Third, college student Party branches have not established a Party building work brand tailored to the inclusive education context. There is insufficient emphasis on the construction of Party building work brands, lacking a clear brand positioning. Student Party members and ordinary students have insufficient understanding of Party building work brands (Gai & Wang, 2022), making it difficult to form a strong sense of identity and belonging, especially for college students in a special education context. This fails to form an effective educational synergy, only widening the distance between their lives, studies, and the Party branch. Therefore, Party building work may fall into a monotonous state, unable to reflect the characteristics and advantages of inclusive education.
Fourth, resource integration and allocation are uneven, and Party branches may face challenges in resource allocation. The student groups in inclusive education have diverse needs, including special educational needs and cross-cultural communication needs, which increase the complexity of resource allocation. Coupled with limited resource budgets and coordination between departments, it is currently difficult to meet the needs of various groups in inclusive education in the face of complex situations.
2) Insufficient Party Building Resources for Inclusive Education and Inadequate Adaptability of Party Member Education Content
First, Party building resources play a crucial role in the development of college Party branches, encompassing not only organizational development but also diversified resources such as Party propaganda and education. Inclusive education generally refers to the integration of special education with general education, while Party building resources involve resources such as Party organizational development and propaganda and education. For instance, in the context of inclusive education, disabled university students face insufficient learning resources due to the lack of specialized resources such as braille production rooms, textbook production rooms, and visual function training rooms. Additionally, some university teachers lack experience in practical guidance during Party building work, making it difficult to effectively implement professional guidance. There is insufficient understanding and exploration of red cultural resources in grassroots Party building work, and these resources have not been utilized as an important support for conducting Party building activities, leading to the inadequate exertion of the educational functions of red resources.
Second, in the current process of educating Party members within college student Party branches, the content and methods covered by the traditional education model may not fully adapt to the educational needs of multicultural backgrounds and student groups with special needs under the inclusive education framework. In this context, the Party member education content under the traditional education model appears relatively monotonous and rigid, unable to effectively meet the personalized and differentiated educational needs of these groups (Hu et al., 2024). For example, student groups with special needs, such as disabled students and ethnic minority students, face issues with monotonous education forms and content, as well as challenges in cognition, psychology, and physiology. Therefore, college student Party branches need to actively explore innovative education models and enrich educational and teaching content to better adapt to the new situation of inclusive education.
3) Disparity Between Party Member Development Standards and Inclusive Education Requirements
The “14th Five-Year Plan for the Development and Improvement of Special Education” provides top-level design and guidance for the development of inclusive education and places high hopes on the development of disabled college students (Li, 2022). In inclusive education practice, the moral character, learning ability, and communication skills standards for developing disabled college student Party members are unified and applicable to all students. However, much of higher education is simply a superposition of general and special education. In the process of developing disabled college student Party members, Party branches generally apply the development requirements and standards for ordinary college students, weakening the cultivation goals of respecting the individual characteristics of special students and supporting their autonomous learning and common growth in an inclusive education environment. The existing Party member development standards fail to fully reflect the starting point and endpoint of inclusive education, indicating significant deficiencies.
4) Imperfect Evaluation System for Party Building Work
Under the inclusive education framework, improving the evaluation system for Party building work is a systematic project. An imperfect evaluation system for Party building work may lead to insufficient integration between Party building work and educational work, affecting the effectiveness of Party building work and the improvement of educational quality. Therefore, it needs to be optimized in terms of evaluation standards, evaluation methods, and feedback mechanisms. For example, the evaluation system may fail to cover all relevant elements in the inclusive education context, such as special educational needs, cross-cultural communication, and multicultural integration. Evaluation methods may be limited to traditional questionnaires or leadership evaluations, lacking diversified evaluation means such as student feedback and peer reviews. Evaluation results may not be fully utilized to effectively guide the improvement and enhancement of Party building work. Therefore, the existing evaluation system for Party building work may fail to fully reflect the characteristics and effectiveness of the work of student Party branches under the inclusive education framework.
3. Optimization Pathways for Party Building in University Student Party Branches under the Background of Inclusive Education
The “14th Five-Year Plan” Action Plan for the Development and Enhancement of Special Education (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”), forwarded by the General Office of the State Council and issued by the Ministry of Education and other departments, outlines a grand blueprint for the high-quality development of special education during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period. This represents a top-level design and special arrangement made by the national level for the development of special education during this period. The policy measures are exhilarating, and the vision of a bright future is inspiring (Li, 2022). To promote high-quality development of Party building within college student Party branches in the context of inclusive education, the following measures should be taken: firstly, strengthening the organizational development of Party branches; secondly, enhancing Party building resources and updating the content of Party member education; thirdly, implementing rigorous standards for the development of Party members while taking into account the development needs of students in the context of inclusive education; and finally, establishing a diversified evaluation system to enhance its scientific nature.
1) Strengthening the Organizational Construction of Student Party Branches
Firstly, based on the characteristics of the inclusive education student population, adjust the organizational structure of student Party branches by establishing more flexible subgroups or branch offices to cater to the needs of diverse students. Establish interdisciplinary and cross-cultural Party branch groups to facilitate exchange and cooperation among students from different backgrounds.
Secondly, enhance the professional training of full-time and part-time Party affairs workers by providing them with specialized training in the field of special education. This will equip full-time and part-time Party affairs workers in student Party branches with knowledge of special education policies, regulations, educational theories, teaching methods, and student psychology, comprehensively improving their professional competence. By constructing a comprehensive training system, optimizing training content and methods, and strengthening teaching staff, their professional capabilities and adaptability can be enhanced, ensuring they play a greater role in the field of special education.
Thirdly, university student Party branches should establish brand projects for Party building tailored to the context of inclusive education. To create a “Party Building+” project, it is first necessary to combine the characteristics of inclusive education, clarify the core values, target audience, and brand mission of the Party building work brand, and increase the awareness and identity of Party affairs workers and student Party members toward the brand. Ensure that brand positioning aligns with the educational philosophy of the school and the needs of students with special education. Design a series of Party building activities with inclusive education features, such as volunteer service by student Party members with special education backgrounds and Party classes themed on inclusive education, to enhance the attractiveness and influence of Party building work. This will form a brand-building model of inclusive education + Party building, strengthening the appeal of the Party building brand and enhancing the effectiveness of grass-roots Party building work in universities.
Fourthly, conduct detailed needs assessments of the inclusive education student population to understand the specific needs of each student. Based on the assessment results, formulate detailed resource allocation plans to ensure the rationality and targeted allocation of resources. Promoting communication and collaboration between Party branches and other departments to jointly address resource allocation issues can more effectively integrate and allocate resources, better meeting the needs of various groups in inclusive education.
2) Strengthening the Construction of Party Building Resources and Updating Party Member Education Content
In the context of inclusive education, expanding Party building resources must integrate Party building work with the concept of inclusive education to enhance the pertinence and effectiveness of Party building work.
Sort through existing Party building resources and integrate resources such as university libraries, archives, special education museums, and inclusive education laboratories. Combine these with local red cultural resources and integrate red cultural resources with professional courses such as history, literature, and art. This will allow students to learn about red history while studying professional knowledge, providing rich material for Party building education and enhancing the vividness and effectiveness of education. At the same time, develop new resources suitable for the characteristics of inclusive education, incorporating socialist core values and Party history and theory into Party building courses related to inclusive education. Collaborate with local red cultural sites and memorials to establish off-campus practical teaching bases, organize student visits to red cultural attractions such as revolutionary memorial sites and historical museums, encourage teachers and students to participate in research on red culture, deepen their understanding of red culture, and convert research results into teaching resources to enrich Party building education content.
Assess the existing Party member education content to understand its adaptability and practicality. Update the education content to reflect the latest theoretical and practical developments. Adopt diversified teaching methods to expand the ideological and political curriculum system, achieving education for all students throughout the entire process. Use methods such as case analysis, role-playing, and group discussions to increase Party member participation. Utilize multimedia technology and online learning platforms to provide diverse learning experiences. Organize visits to red education bases and historical sites to enhance educational effectiveness through field experiences. Understand the actual needs and interests of Party members through surveys and forums. Establish a feedback mechanism to encourage Party members to provide opinions and suggestions on education content. Set up reward measures to incentivize Party members to actively participate in educational learning and practical activities. Innovate Party building education methods by organizing experience exchanges and discussions among Party members to promote mutual learning and improvement. Inspire Party members to fulfill the party’s purpose by sharing their advanced deeds in daily work and life. Organize Party members to participate in social practice, volunteer service, and other activities, combining education content with practical work.
3) Strict Standards for the Development of Party Members, Taking into Account the Development Needs of Students in the Context of Inclusive Education
The standards for the development of university student Party members in the context of inclusive education must balance the political qualities, theoretical knowledge, and physical and mental characteristics of Party members. Inclusive education emphasizes the integration of educational resources, innovation in educational methods, and respect for individual differences. Therefore, grass-roots Party branches must conduct research on the development of student Party members in the context of inclusive education and report the findings to superior Party organizations. Submit the research results to the university’s Party Committee Organization Department for the design and modification of relevant policies. Regularly hold forums, seminars, and other activities in the grass-roots Party organizations of various colleges to discuss the integration of Party member development standards with inclusive education requirements.
During the process of Party member development, refine the standards for Party member development to clarify which behaviors and qualities meet the requirements of the party, ensuring that the standards for Party member development are open and transparent, so that all applicants can understand and comply with them. Emphasize inclusivity and diversity and encourage the participation of disabled university students in Party organizations. Provide targeted training for disabled university students in the context of inclusive education to help them understand the basic theories and practical requirements of the party, fully consider the accessibility needs of disabled university students, and ensure the accessibility of resources. At the same time, provide continuous education and development opportunities for Party members to help them continuously improve their qualities.
4) Constructing a Diversified Evaluation System to Enhance the Scientific Nature of the Evaluation System
Only by reflecting on and summarizing Party building work can valuable scientific improvements and innovations be proposed. Therefore, it is necessary to diversify evaluation content. The evaluation system should cover political qualities, theoretical knowledge, practical abilities, moral qualities, and other aspects, comprehensively reflecting the comprehensive qualities of student Party members. It should also combine quantitative and qualitative evaluations, adopting various evaluation methods such as self-evaluation, peer evaluation, and mentor evaluation to improve the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the evaluation. Optimize the indicator system by optimizing the setting of indicators in the evaluation system based on the characteristics of inclusive education to ensure the scientificity and effectiveness of the evaluation. Meanwhile, invite experts and scholars in related fields to consult during the process of constructing and optimizing the evaluation system to enhance the scientificity and authority of the evaluation system.
By constructing a diversified evaluation system, establishing a dynamic evaluation mechanism, strengthening the application of evaluation results, and enhancing the scientific nature of the evaluation system, the issue of an imperfect evaluation system for Party building work in university student Party branches in the context of inclusive education can be effectively addressed. This, in turn, will promote the healthy development of grass-roots Party building work in universities.
4. Conclusion
Under the background of inclusive education, workers in university-level grassroots Party branches should enhance their ability to integrate Party building work into the entire process and all aspects of education and teaching by aligning with the characteristics of the times and the needs of Party members. They should actively explore appropriate ways to solve the problem of disconnection between practical Party building and education through innovative methods and mechanisms. Focus should be placed on the integration of Party building and education and teaching, leveraging the bridging and connecting role of Party organizations, strengthening the self-construction of Party organizations, innovating Party building methodologies, and emphasizing ideological and political work. Updating educational content to focus on the combination of theory and practice will enhance the pertinence and effectiveness of education. Additionally, integrating educational resources, innovating working methods, strengthening the construction of Party member teams, and improving the evaluation system for Party building work are necessary to meet the development requirements of the new era and to improve the quality and effectiveness of Party building.
In conclusion, it is crucial to continuously enhance the educational capacity of university-level grassroots Party branches and leverage their role as primary educators. By aligning with the key work of universities and actively exploring unique educational models for grassroots Party building work under the background of inclusive education, combined with the realities of grassroots Party organizations and adapting measures to local conditions, it is essential to strengthen the value guidance for university student Party members. This will cultivate university student Party members with firm ideals and beliefs who are willing to shoulder the important responsibilities of the times.
Funding
This work was supported by the 2020 Jiangsu Province Philosophy and Social Science Research Project for Colleges and Universities titled “Exploration of the Construction of College Student Party Branches in the Context of Inclusive Education” (Grant Number: 2020SJB0229).