Recently, the achievement (research report) of project “Difficulties and Countermeasures of Implementation of Elementary Education Reform in Western Rural Areas” won the first prize for excellent education and scientific research achievements in colleges and universities. The project was a key project of the“10th Five-Year” Plan of National Education Science; it’s directed and finished by Professor GU Shenghua of the Chinese Department of our university. 26 excellent scientific research achievements were awarded, including 5 first prizes, 9 second prizes and 12 third prizes. It’s worth mentioning that 2 first prizes among the 5 were won by Southwest University, 2 by Chongqing Normal University and 1 by our university. The fact that our university won a first prize indicates that the overall strength of our education and scientific research has stepped into a higher level. This progress owes to university and department leaders’ high attention, increased investment of scientific research funds, constant improvement of the research incentive mechanism,and the enhance of teachers’ enthusiasm for scientific research; also, it’s a result of years of hard work and devotion to research on elementary education in western rural areas by the scientific research innovation team of the Chinese Department.
“Difficulties and Countermeasures of Implementation of Elementary Education Reform in Western Rural Areas” is the first national key scientific research project of our university. Based on the physical differences between developed areas and underdeveloped areas, the project proposes that the elementary education reform shall take measures according to local conditions. The project mainly investigated the situation of elementary education reform in western rural areas of China. According to the research, the elementary education in western rural areas is faced with nine difficulties including lack of teachers, information unavailability and out-of-date teaching ideas. Several countermeasures are proposed accordingly. A series of research results are derived from the project, including one academic monograph, 16 academic papers and the feature program series They Lose on the Starting Line. The research is highly looking-forward, relevant and practical; it produces positive social influences: some of the research results have been adopted by district and county education departments in Chongqing, especially training departments; the academic monograph They Lose on the Starting Line received strong response among readers after its publication. The book ranked second on the new book ranking list of China Book International (2006, No. 2). In 2006, the book won the third prize of the Fifth Philosophy and Social Science Award of Chongqing.
