Exploration of the Collaborative Path between Ideological and Political Work and Rule of Law Work ()
1. Introduction
Rule of law in school management is an important guaranteed foundation in the process of school management. Promoting the legalization of ideological and political work, promoting the improvement of institutional construction in school ideological and political work, especially in student daily management, employment guidance, academic guidance, etc., compiling relevant national laws and regulations, and doing a good job in classified guidance are key tasks to ensure the continuous standardization, systematization, and institutionalization of ideological and political work. Combining the legal foundation education already carried out in ideological and political theory courses, we will once again carry out detailed legal education and practice in daily ideological and political work, enhance college students’ legal awareness, protect their own abilities, stimulate their sense of social responsibility, cultivate their comprehensive qualities, correct values and moral qualities, continuously improve, and enhance the effectiveness of ideological and political education in educating people.
This question has two perspectives for exploration. Firstly, the rule of law in ideological and political education, exploring legal education in ideological and political work, investigating the effectiveness of legal education in ideological and political theory courses, and the methods and approaches of legal education in daily ideological and political work, in order to enhance the legal literacy and ability to understand and use the law of college students. The second is ideological and political education in the rule of law, exploring how to use the rule of law as a lever to do a good job in ideological and political work, achieve ideological and political education in accordance with the law, safeguard ideological and political education, and use the law as a foundation and risk management for ideological and political education. The key is to organically integrate the rule of law and ideological and political work in university management, explore the synergistic mechanism between the two, and promote the professionalization and efficiency of ideological and political work through the rule of law.
2. Legal Issues Commonly Involved in Ideological and
Political Work
2.1. School Security Incidents
Campus security incidents are often characterized by group misconduct that disrupts or disrupts the order of campus security. They may occur among students, between students and members of society, or in places where members of society use the campus to gather, disrupt, or disrupt social order.
The response measures are as follows: When a campus security incident occurs, the school security department should rush to the scene as soon as possible and call 110 or 120 for assistance depending on the situation. Effective measures should be taken to stop and subdue illegal behavior, control the situation in a timely manner, protect the scene, and provide convenience for the public security department to investigate and collect evidence. At the same time, pacify and protect the students, carry out evacuation work, and promptly report the situation to the education administrative management department.
After a security incident occurs, the school should quickly establish a security management working group to investigate the incident, cooperate with the police in handling the case, clarify the cause and specific process of the incident, and determine responsibility.
After the investigation is completed, the school should divide responsibilities based on the investigation results: if it involves external social personnel, the school should promptly transfer them to relevant departments such as public security for handling. For cases involving students from our school, in addition to transferring them to the public security organs for handling as needed, they should also be handled in accordance with relevant laws and regulations or the school’s relevant systems, and the results of the handling should be made public.
2.2. Disciplinary Action, Student Appeal
The school formulates its own student management system in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, clarifying students’ rights and obligations, behavioral norms, types and scope of disciplinary actions, disciplinary procedures, etc., and shall come into effect and be implemented after being approved through democratic procedures. To fully safeguard the right of students to appeal, schools should establish a student appeal handling committee responsible for accepting appeals filed by students who are dissatisfied with the handling or disciplinary decisions.
The response measures are: after students enroll, the school should fully publicize the student disciplinary system, provide specialized training, and obtain student signature confirmation in the form of student manuals, admission guides, etc., or promote students to strengthen their learning and understanding of relevant disciplinary systems through school rules and regulations knowledge competitions, etc.
The school’s moral education department should establish a student disciplinary investigation and handling team to conduct a detailed investigation of student disciplinary behavior, fully listen to the opinions of all parties and the statements and defenses of students, and ensure that the facts are clear, the basis is clear, the nature is accurate, the punishment is appropriate, and the procedure is legitimate.
To fully safeguard the right of students to appeal, schools should establish a student appeal handling committee responsible for accepting appeals filed by students who are dissatisfied with the handling or disciplinary decisions. The Student Appeal Handling Committee shall be composed of relevant school officials, functional department heads, teacher representatives, student representatives, and relevant legal affairs agency heads, and may hire external experts in law, education, and other fields to participate. Schools should formulate specific measures for student appeals, improve the composition and working rules of student appeal handling committees, provide necessary conditions, and ensure that they can objectively and fairly fulfill their duties.
2.3. Self Harm
Self harm is generally a deliberate act, and in severe cases, it may even lead to suicidal tendencies. Medicine usually defines intentional self harm behavior as a “psychological illness” that requires medical intervention to reduce the corresponding risks.
The response measures are to establish and improve the leadership system and working mechanism for college students’ mental health education, incorporate college students’ mental health education and counseling work into the important agenda of ideological and political education in schools in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, strengthen leadership, and form a mental health education work system that combines in class and out of class, education and guidance, counseling and self-help.
Offering courses related to mental health education for college students, promoting and popularizing mental health knowledge, helping college students understand the importance of healthy psychology for their growth and success, cultivating good psychological qualities and excellent character traits such as self-esteem, self love, self-discipline, and self-improvement, effectively developing psychological potential, and cultivating innovative spirit.
Establishing a mental health counseling room within the school to effectively help college students solve practical problems, regularly conducting in-depth and detailed heart to heart activities with students, imparting psychological adjustment methods, helping college students eliminate psychological confusion, enhance their ability to overcome difficulties and setbacks, cherish life, care for the collective, accept themselves, and treat others well. At the same time, the student mental health management department should strengthen its communication and cooperation with other relevant departments of the school, take practical measures to help college students alleviate pressure from economic, employment, study, and life aspects, and help them cultivate good psychological qualities.
Regularly conduct surveys on the mental health of college students to understand the dynamic changes in their mental health, help them understand the main causes and manifestations of common psychological problems, and carry out targeted management of college students’ mental health, guiding them to approach psychological problems with a scientific attitude.
The school should promptly inform students of self harm incidents and fulfill necessary safety protection obligations. Once the school discovers a student with a tendency towards self harming behavior, it should promptly inform the student’s parents of the situation and make a record of it. For those who are not suitable to continue studying, it is recommended that they follow the school’s relevant management system to fulfill measures such as taking a leave of absence.
If a student’s self harm incident has indeed occurred, the school medical department should take emergency measures to implement treatment as soon as possible, and call 120 emergency hotline to take the student to the hospital for medical treatment.
2.4. Telecommunications fraud, economic fraud
Telecommunications fraud “refers to the criminal act of fabricating false information, setting up scams, and conducting remote, non-contact fraud against victims through telephone, internet, and text message methods, inducing victims to make payments or transfers. It usually achieves the purpose of deception by impersonating others and counterfeiting and forging various legal disguises and forms. Economic fraud “refers to financial fraud events in the fifth section of the crime of disrupting the order of the socialist market economy. This type of behavior seriously violates the country’s financial management system and the property ownership of others.
The response measures are: the school security department should strengthen the promotion of anti fraud knowledge and laws and regulations, set up warning signs in prominent locations to prevent fraud, compile fraud prevention guidelines, regularly invite public security personnel to give lectures on fraud techniques and prevention points, and enhance students’ vigilance. At the same time, relevant legal provisions should also be communicated to students to help them understand the legal consequences and responsibilities of committing fraud, and to prevent college students from engaging in illegal activities of fraud.
Establish a fraud complaint and reporting department within the school and coordinate with the public security organs. If college students encounter fraud, they can directly seek help from the campus fraud complaint and reporting department. The school fraud complaint and reporting department is responsible for helping students sort out the situation, fixing evidence, and contacting the public security organs.
If the school discovers through preliminary investigation that its teachers and students are suspected of engaging in fraudulent activities, it should pay attention to retaining relevant evidence and hand over relevant personnel to the public security organs for detailed investigation. At the same time, based on the investigation results of the public security organs, the involved personnel should be dealt with according to the school’s relevant management system, and the results of the handling should be made public.
2.5. Safety Accidents and Unexpected Events
The consequences of safety accidents or personal injuries to teachers and students in educational and teaching activities implemented in schools or extracurricular activities organized by schools, as well as in school buildings, venues, other educational and teaching facilities, and living facilities for which the school has management responsibility.
The response measures are: This measure guidance applies to the prevention of safety accidents and incidents that may occur in educational and teaching activities that may be implemented in schools or extracurricular activities organized by schools, as well as in school buildings, venues, other educational and teaching facilities, and living facilities for which schools have management responsibilities.
Schools should provide school buildings, venues, other educational and teaching facilities, and living facilities that meet safety standards, and regularly maintain and repair them to eliminate safety hazards.
Schools should provide safety education, management, and protection to students, regularly educate them on safety based on regional, environmental, and seasonal characteristics, and integrate safety education into teaching, social practice, daily life, and various large-scale activities. Take the period before the holiday and the beginning of the school year as an important time for safety education, focusing on introducing students to water and land transportation safety, food hygiene, safety of on campus and off campus activities, and self rescue and self-protection knowledge for other accidents, organizing fire escape drills, etc.
Strengthen the construction of campus safety culture, make full use of the school’s propaganda and education platforms and facilities, and carry out propaganda and education activities.
The School Security Office is responsible for campus security management, inspecting school security work, developing and implementing security inspection systems and emergency plans for various sudden security incidents, and providing dedicated security personnel.
2.6. Pyramid Selling
Pyramid selling refers to the practice of organizers or operators developing individuals who seek illegal benefits, disrupt economic order, and affect social stability by calculating and paying remuneration based on the number of individuals they directly or indirectly develop or their sales performance, or requiring them to obtain membership qualifications by paying a certain fee.
The response measures are: the school security department should strengthen the promotion of relevant laws and knowledge, raise students’ awareness of the illegality of illegal pyramid schemes, and guide students to enhance their self-protection awareness.
Improve the school’s relevant systems and linkage mechanisms. Regular linkage should be established between relevant departments, colleges, classes, and parents of students. Once any signs of students participating in illegal pyramid schemes are found, they should be reported to the school immediately.
Establish a complaint and reporting department for illegal pyramid schemes within the school and coordinate with the public security organs. If students encounter illegal pyramid schemes, they can directly seek help from this department, which is responsible for helping students sort out the situation, fixing evidence, and contacting the public security organs.
Once illegal pyramid schemes are discovered on campus, the school should promptly report to the public security organs for handling them and assist and cooperate with the judicial departments involved. At the same time, based on the investigation results of the judicial authorities, the personnel involved in the case will be dealt with in accordance with the relevant management system of the school, and the results of the handling will be made public.
3. Overall Approach to Handling Legal Issues
To effectively prevent and properly handle the occurrence of the above-mentioned incidents, it is necessary to classify ideological and political work and explore the application and case analysis of laws and regulations in teaching, studies, employment, dormitory management, safety education, etc., and form a classification guidance manual. The practical significance of doing so is to enable teachers and students to handle social hot topics such as “legitimate defense” and “helping elderly people fall” in a legal and practical manner; When encountering problems in ideological and political work, one can promptly seek corresponding legal protection for ideological and political work.
The specific path can be summarized as three alliances. One is to collaborate with the school’s legal advisory team to systematically review the relevant systems of ideological and political work in schools from a legal perspective. Each system will be reviewed and monitored separately, and suggestions for long-term planning for overall construction will be proposed. Legal support will be provided for classified guidance work, and legal advisors will be commissioned to form a compilation of legal and regulatory work. The second is to collaborate with ideological and political work departments such as the Student Affairs Department, Youth League Committee, and Propaganda Department to carry out institutional improvement and classified guidance work from a business perspective. The third is to unite teachers and students, carry out classified guidance construction, legal education, and legal knowledge training, and enhance the effectiveness of education.
4. Carry Out Legal Education in Ideological and Political Work
Comprehensively enhancing the legal literacy and rule of law awareness of college students is a key project for cultivating moral character. The legal education for college students is not only an important teaching content of ideological and political education in universities, but also an important measure to implement the strategic deployment of “comprehensively governing the country by law”. Colleges and universities should fully leverage the synergistic effect of “ideological and political courses” [1] in the same direction, build a comprehensive ideological and political framework for all staff, the whole process, and all aspects, and strengthen the legal education of college students. The legal education for college students should take moral education as the core essence, attach importance to the cultivation of both morality and law, guide students to actively practice socialist core values, and help them establish correct worldviews, life philosophies, and values.
4.1. Ideological and Political Theory Course
The first classroom legal education for college students mainly relies on the course “Ideological and Moral Cultivation and Legal Fundamentals” [2], which plays a fundamental role in the legal education of college students as a compulsory course.
4.1.1. Give Full Play to the Fundamental Role of Ideological and Political
Theory Courses
As a necessary foundational course for college students, ideological and political theory courses play an important role in promoting legal education. Universities should offer compulsory courses on the rule of law and elective courses on general legal education for students majoring in illegal studies. Different course contents should be developed for students of different grades and majors to promote their understanding and comprehension of the concepts, principles, and important legal concepts of the rule of law. This will enable university students to understand the current situation of the rule of law in China and clarify what is advocated and prohibited by the state.
4.1.2. Promote the Transition of Rule of Law Education from the
Classroom to Practice
According to the 2018 Ministry of Education proposal, universities should explore an educational model that combines theoretical and practical teaching based on their own characteristics. Increase students’ participation in legal practice courses, especially focusing on the goal of governing the country according to law. Develop an outline, specify class hours and credits, arrange corresponding teaching personnel, provide necessary funding, and cultivate students’ legal emotions and will.
4.1.3. Strengthen the Construction of the Legal Education Faculty Team
Educators play a leading role in the education process. Without a high-level teaching staff, there will be a lack of high-quality education, and it will be even more difficult to cultivate students with high literacy. Therefore, the teaching staff of political theory courses in universities should have a high level of legal literacy. It is necessary to widely recruit law teachers with strong legal literacy into the ideological and political education teaching team, especially to strengthen the professional training of teachers and political work cadres who do not have a legal background and are engaged in legal education work.
4.2. Daily Ideological and Political Work
The learning and living environment on campus are also important educational resources, playing a huge role in nurturing, inspiring, motivating, and shaping. In the daily management work of universities and the daily learning and life of students, exerting a subtle influence on them is also an important measure to do a good job in the legal education of college students.
4.2.1. Optimize the Legal Education Environment on Campus
Colleges and universities can improve the campus legal culture environment and enhance the taste of campus legal culture activities through daily publicity work. They can make good use of school bulletin boards and new media platforms to educate and popularize legal thinking. They should seize any educational opportunity of campus cultural propaganda, infiltrate legal education into every link, run through the entire process of campus cultural activities, and comprehensively carry out legal education.
4.2.2. Strengthen the Legal Literacy of College Students Themselves
Organize students to participate in the “Legal Knowledge” publicity volunteer activity, go to different regions to promote legal awareness and provide legal education to local residents. Universities can jointly establish practical teaching bases with local courts, organize non law students to participate in court hearings, and truly experience the process of court hearings and trials. Universities should actively carry out relevant legal activities such as legal lectures, mock courts, and legal knowledge debates. At the same time, the process and participation methods of these activities should be as lively and diverse as possible, in order to promote the dissemination of legal knowledge that is more beneficial to students’ acceptance.
4.2.3. Pay attention to the Fairness of the Procedures for Handling Affairs
in Universities
College administrators should pay attention to procedural fairness in the daily management of student work, and the process, steps, and methods of making decisions and handling affairs should comply with the requirements of laws, regulations, and other rules and regulations. In matters related to the vital interests of students, information should be made public and transparent, and public participation should be ensured, and it should not be reduced to formality. Students’ opinions and suggestions should be continuously absorbed to strengthen their confidence in the rule of law.
In short, strengthening legal education for college students requires breaking through traditional legal education concepts and striving to improve the construction of relevant legal education in universities. By combining theory with practice, classroom with campus, and through the joint efforts of universities, educators, and learners, we can form an educational synergy and fully integrate legal education into ideological and political education in universities.
Conflicts of Interest
The author declares no conflicts of interest.