Chapter 444: Entering the State

After finishing the formalities, Xu Yongjiang smiled and said, "The year's plan lies in spring; do you have concrete plans for the province's education work?"

Lu Fan immediately repeated the content he had reported to the Governor, also ten schemes.

Xu Yongjiang, after listening, thought briefly and said, "The ideas are very good; if all ten measures are implemented, they will surely bring a revolutionary change to Qinchuan's education! But you must know, after a policy is formulated, the focus is on implementation. The cities and counties below must execute it consistently, with coordinated effort, seeing it through to the end, moving forward without hesitation. If they only shout a few slogans, merely express positions without action, these tasks will end up as mere formalism! At present, the Deputy Secretary and a member of the Standing Committee are vacant, and personnel allocation is constantly debated, so the support I can give you is limited!"

Lu Fan is only in a transitional role at the Education Department, and he hasn't reached that level yet, so he didn't take up this "thread", replying, "Secretary, I will do my utmost, by every possible means, to carry out the work, but the outcome can only follow its own course; many things will not shift according to human will."

After returning from the Provincial Party Committee, Lu Fan finally felt officially appointed, and began studying the Education Department and how to carry out the work.

The Provincial Education Department has 26 internal divisions, with a total staff establishment of 175, of which 150 are administrative positions; there are 10 department‑level leadership posts and 50 division‑level leadership posts.

The department directly oversees 18 units, directly managing Chang'an High School, Chang'an Middle School, and Chang'an Elementary School, and it administers eight vocational schools. In addition, there is a Higher Education Bureau with five internal divisions. All together, the staff totals nearly 700 people.

The Education Department has 15 vehicles and a budget of roughly 85 million yuan. Last year, the province's total education expenditure was 180 billion yuan, of which fiscal education funds amounted to 135 billion yuan, covering education service fees, infrastructure costs, and education fee surcharges; the remainder came from various sectors and higher‑level funding.

The province has 14,300 schools and educational institutions of all levels and types, with a total student population of 8.65 million, accounting for 22% of the province's population.

There are 4,195 primary schools, with 3.04 million enrolled students;

There are 2,112 ordinary secondary schools, with 2.08 million enrolled students;

There are 446 ordinary high schools, with 730 000 enrolled students;

There are 7,575 kindergartens, with 1.2 million children enrolled;

There are 80 special education schools, with 7 600 enrolled students;

There are 357 various secondary vocational schools, with 460 000 enrolled students and 25 800 full‑time teachers;

There are 112 various higher‑education institutions, with 2.02 million students and 83 700 full‑time teachers;

There are 50 graduate‑training institutions, with 214 000 graduate students enrolled;

There are 3,745 private schools of all levels and types, with 1.38 million students and 88 700 full‑time teachers.

The above figures constitute the rough assets of Qinchuan's education, the domain Lu Fan can directly influence; it can truly be called a "big family, big enterprise", with everyone unable to live without education!

Near the end of the workday, Lu Fan asked his secretary to summon Deputy Director Ma Yajun, Director of the Textbook Division Huang Weihuan, and Duan Yongjiao to the office, and bluntly ordered, "According to the Ministry's 'Opinions on Strengthening Local Curriculum and School‑based Curriculum Construction and Management', there is a week left before school starts. The department must earnestly handle textbook selection and procurement. This urgent task is for you three to implement."

Ma Yajun immediately responded, "Please give instructions, Director; we guarantee high‑quality completion of the task."

Lu Fan said gravely, "Children are the nation's future hope, the foundation of the motherland's future. Some of the current issues have sparked public outrage because they not only fail to show the expected positivity, making people intolerant! I won't elaborate on the specifics; I can't control other places, but Qinchuan Province must never have such problems! I give you three days to mobilize professional staff, work in a centralized office, and, according to the teaching syllabus, launch review and revision procedures. Any problems?"

Director Huang Weihuan immediately felt immense pressure, but this is the first task assigned by the director after taking office; it must be completed with quality and quantity despite difficulties, otherwise how can one continue to "survive" in the department?

So he said, "Director, time is tight and the task heavy; to achieve high quality, we must draw a large number of professionals from across the province, work in a centralized office, and split into several subject groups."

Lu Fan bluntly said, "Weihuan, you are an expert, proficient in the business; now draft the list of personnel to be mobilized, pull hard‑core staff from across the province, and while I, who does not move, personally coordinate the 'command', ensure the work officially starts at eight tomorrow. You all work hard, draft the work plan overnight, arrange the division of labor—keep it simple and clear, with a definite purpose and responsibilities assigned. Do you understand my meaning?"

Ma Yajun nodded seriously and replied, "Director, I know what to do; no time to waste, we will act immediately."

Huang Weihuan also said, "Please rest assured, Director; we guarantee task completion!"

Lu Fan emphasized again, "Record every modification, compile them into a document for future needs! Yongjiao, cooperate with Director Yajun to handle the related document issuance and filing, treating it as a special case, and act swiftly!"

After the three left, Lu Fan said to Secretary Mu Lankai, "Go ask Wang Hanzhi!"

"Okay, Director, I'm going right away."

Shortly after, Deputy Secretary of the Teachers' Committee Wang Hanzhi entered with a notebook, smiling and asking, "Director, what instructions?"

"Hanzhi, sit down and speak! There are a few matters I need to discuss with you."

"Please give instructions, Director!" Wang Hanzhi opened the notebook and took out a pen.

Lu Fan thought for a moment and said slowly, "You are in charge of organization work, and the office director position is vacant; I propose transferring Duan Yongjiao to be Deputy Secretary‑General of the Yingjiang City Government. Additionally, let Mu Lankai serve as Deputy Director of the Secretariat Office; this will be convenient and make coordination smoother."

Wang Hanzhi replied without hesitation, "Director, I fully support! I will have the Organization Department promptly produce a personnel adjustment plan and submit it to the department Party Committee meeting for study and decision."

Lu Fan nodded and said, "There is a task I want to entrust to you. The minister proposed 'returning the Discipline Ruler to teachers', and I strongly agree. Students who disobey management, disrupt class order, even smoke, drink, or bully classmates—how can teachers control them? Lecturing is ineffective!"

Education Discipline has always been a societal focus and a public concern in education. How to implement it, what procedures to follow, has sparked increasing discussion; many parents are also conflicted, fearing that children's misconduct will not be corrected promptly, yet also worrying that improper implementation of disciplinary measures could affect children's physical and mental health.

Therefore, I propose issuing the Qinchuan Province Primary and Secondary Education Discipline Regulation, to make Education Discipline operational, with procedural legality, allowing teachers to wield the Discipline Ruler properly, and to better integrate governance with teaching, strictness with kindness.

Staying in the office, patting my forehead to decide, a policy made this way is nonsense! Organize a research team, go deep into schools, teachers, and parents, gauge the emotions of teachers and students, collect parents' demands, draw on public wisdom, so that the policy can truly "bridge the last mile" in implementation!

Wang Hanzhi replied earnestly, "Scientific implementation of Education Discipline requires both scale and warmth. Director, I have thought carefully about Education Discipline, and it is indeed necessary to issue a 'Regulation', so that teachers remember which disciplinary method to use in which situation, and what level of misconduct warrants which corresponding severity, ensuring objectivity, fairness, legality, appropriateness, and avoiding arbitrariness, personalization, or emotionalism. I will immediately organize a research activity and promptly draft a practical 'Regulation'."

Lu Fan said, "To use, to use well, and to use Education Discipline properly still requires sustained effort from many sides. Hanzhi, once the 'Regulation' is issued, you will be responsible for producing a batch of 'Discipline Rulers', labeling them with 'Education Department', and distributing them to every class of primary and secondary schools across the province. We will raise a big banner, boldly support teachers, and clearly tell teachers, parents, and students that the ruler used for beating is provided by the Education Department! Within a year, if any parent causes trouble during the implementation of Education Discipline, the Provincial Education Department will handle it fully and bear all responsibility! Without firm resolve, the policy cannot be implemented."

Sensing the director's determination, Wang Hanzhi responded, "Director, I will treat this work as a major political task, grasp it tightly, and will not disappoint your expectations!"

That evening, 300 provincial‑level teaching experts and key teachers from across the province, along with some university professors, art teachers, and other professional technical talents, received an urgent notice from the Provincial Education Department, requiring them to report to the auditorium of Chang'an Middle School at eight tomorrow morning.

It was still winter break; although the teachers complained profusely after being summoned, they dared not defy the Education Department's order, and those from far away had already set off for Chang'an.

At seven p. m., Lu Fan went to the Qinchuan Hotel, where Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee Wu Xiaohua hosted a banquet to welcome him; the director of the Provincial Department of Science and Technology Zhang Shibin, the director of the Emergency Management Department Zhang Rongqiu, the deputy director of the Culture and Tourism Department Yang Chuanbei, the executive deputy director of the Human Resources and Social Security Department Zhang Ziqiang, and the director of the Second Inspection Office of the Discipline Inspection Committee Du Wenlong also attended, all of whom were officials dispatched from Yingjiang.

Entering the private room, Lu Fan, with a forced smile, said, "Brothers, forgive me; the work delay caused me to 'arrive late and leave slowly', keeping you waiting; I will punish myself with three drinks later!"

Wu Xiaohua laughed, "Good attitude, I'll forgive you, big director. What about Yajun? Didn't he come back with you? You won't fall into bureaucratism, will you? Not drinking with the deputy?"

Lu Fan laughed and explained, "Wu, you've misunderstood! Yajun is my capable aide; this meeting is working overtime, please excuse us! I plan to use the time before school starts to revise some problems existing in Qinchuan's primary and secondary textbooks; some content is truly unappealing. Yajun is mobilizing a 'large force' and drafting a work plan, and we will start action at eight tomorrow morning!"