"Let's talk about compulsory education first!" Sun Yuanqi said: "The so-called compulsory education is a national education that school-age children and teenagers must receive according to the law and must be guaranteed by the state, society and family. It is generally believed that compulsory education originated in Germany, and the religious leader Martin? Luther was the first to propose the concept of compulsory education. In 1619, the Duchy of Weimar promulgated the School Decree, which stipulated that parents should send their children between the ages of 6 and 12 to school, which was the earliest compulsory education. After the industrial revolution, compulsory education played a huge role in enabling people to master industrial knowledge, and the duration of compulsory education has also developed from the initial 3 to 6 months to 6 years or even 9 years.

"Japan, which is across the sea from us, has been making compulsory education universally since the Meiji Restoration. According to their school system, primary education lasts for eight years, with the first four years being compulsory. By 1909, compulsory education had been extended to six years, and the state required all children to have six years of primary education. As a result, student enrolment has risen steadily. At the end of 1872 only 28 per cent of school-age children were enrolled, but by 1910 98 per cent were enrolled in school, almost completely solving the problem of illiteracy. This also laid the foundation for Japan's current economic prosperity and national prosperity! ”

In fact, Little Japan does take education very seriously!

In the TV series "Towards a Republic", after the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, Emperor Meiji asked Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito to spend all the 230 million taels of indemnity on education. Of course, this is just a beautiful imagination of the Chinese for a rounder moon in foreign countries, in an attempt to highlight the important role of education in national rejuvenation, and by the way, to set up an incomparably great model and an idol that is difficult to surpass for the Chinese government. In fact, the Japanese government has only allocated 10 million yen to the Education Fund. This represents approximately 2.8 per cent of all claims. It's a small percentage, but it's a great investment.

After the end of World War II, the Japanese mainland was blown into rotten fritters by the United States, the people suffered heavy casualties, and politics was also controlled by the US military. Despite this, in 1947 the Japanese government promulgated the Basic Law on Education, which extended compulsory education from six to nine years before the war. In just one year, almost 100 per cent of the country's compulsory education has been achieved.

I took a sip of tea. Sun Yuanqi continued: "China's population is about 400 million. There are at least 40 to 50 million school-age children. However, the statistics of the three years of Xuantong show that there are only 1.6 million students in the country, and the student enrollment rate is less than one-twentieth! Trying to build a prosperous, strong, and democratic country with such national qualities is tantamount to a fool's dream; And using the education funds of the late Qing Dynasty to implement compulsory education is tantamount to a drop in the bucket.

"Compulsory education actually contains two parts of responsibility, on the one hand, school-age children and adolescents must go to school to receive education, and on the other hand, the state, society, and families must create good conditions for schooling. China has always had a tradition of respecting literature and learning, and children and young people are very willing to go to school to receive education, but the key is that the country, society, and families are unable to meet their needs, such as poor school buildings and scarcity of teachers. Another example is family difficulties, which makes it difficult to pay for students' books and miscellaneous fees.

"At this stage, China does not have the ability to universalize compulsory education, and if it is enforced through legislation, it will make the situation worse for poor families, and it will not be beautiful. Therefore, starting from the second half of this year, I want to induce the majority of school-age children and teenagers to enter school through education subsidies. The specific method is to implement compulsory education in primary schools, implement free education, free teaching materials, free school uniforms, free lunches, and provide a subsidy of two silver dollars per person per semester. Issued at the end of the term and period; After the higher primary school, elite education was implemented, and it was agreed to implement the 'four exemptions', and each person was provided with a subsidy of four silver dollars per semester. It's just that 20 per cent of the year will be eliminated until the end of primary secondary school. ”

Song Jiaoren frowned slightly and said, "What about those eliminated students?" No one can be sure that they will not make a mistake in every exam. Besides, some people are late bloomers, and some people are young and may not be good. If the cruel elimination system is implemented from the beginning of the higher primary schools, will it not leave out countless talents? ”

Sun Yuanqi said: "If the eliminated students still want to study, they can go to private schools or repeat grades, but they can't enjoy the 'four frees' discount that year." As for what you said, it may not be good to be a late bloomer and a big hour. After all, it is still a minority, and in the case of fairness and justice to the majority of the people, we can't care so much in the short term. ”

Song Jiaoren pondered for a moment and then said: "As Mr. Sun said, there are currently 1.6 million students in school in China, and if the education subsidy is implemented from the second half of this year, free education and free teaching materials will be removed

, free school uniforms, free lunches, and the annual education subsidy alone needs at least 6.4 million yuan. If more than 20% of the country's students will be able to enter schools in ten years' time, this number will rise to more than 40 million yuan per year! With such a huge amount of money, how does Mr. Sun plan to raise it? Is it from the treasury? If you want to come to President Yuan, you will never want to! ”

Sun Yuan smiled and said: "If you squeeze out money from the treasury to build compulsory education, President Yuan will naturally refuse." Fortunately, the funds are elsewhere, and he should agree to it! ”

Song Jiaoren was curious: "How does Mr. Sun plan to raise it?" ”

Seeing Song Jiaoren's posture of breaking the clay pot and asking the end, Sun Yuanqi had no choice but to tell the truth: "After consultation between Sun and President Yuan, I am ready to transfer all the taxes of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Jin provinces to education funds. ”

Song Jiaoren muttered: "If the current scale of students in school is maintained, the taxes of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Jin provinces will be transferred to education funds, which will be more than enough." However, stimulated by the 'four exemptions' policy and education subsidies, it is believed that the number of students in school will rise sharply, and it is even likely to exceed 10 million in the short term. At that time, I am afraid that the taxes of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu and Jin provinces will be far from being able to support it, right? ”

When will the number of students in school exceed 10 million? Five years, ten years? Or twenty years, thirty years? At that time, after the baptism of the First World War, the industry and agriculture of Sichuan, Shaanxi and other provinces would develop rapidly, and it was possible to increase the total economic output several times, so there should not be much problem in meeting the education funds. Even if there is a gap, it is no problem for the company under your name to make up for a part. The more critical question is, God knows who was the Minister of Education at that time! It's impossible for Sun Yuanqi to be a lifetime, right?

Sun Yuanqi said: "This question should be asked to the incumbent education chief when the time comes!" I think if the taxes of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu and Jin provinces are really difficult to support, the central government will not sit idly by, right? We don't have to worry about it now. ”

Song Jiaoren said: "Mr. Sun can ignore his own selfishness, not to use the taxes of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu and Jin provinces to expand military warfare, but to transfer them to national education funds, which really makes Song feel inexplicable!" But Song is very worried that the central government has been trying to weaken local autonomy, and if the four provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Jin do not maintain sufficient military deterrence in order to achieve compulsory education, it is likely to be gradually encroached upon by the central government. In the end, not only is it difficult to realize the ideal of education, but even the New China Party and even Mr. Sun have no place to live! ”

The play meat is coming!

Of course, Sun Yuanqi would not be naïve to think that Song Jiaoren came this time to chat with him and talk about the issue of compulsory education by the way. Obviously, yesterday's clarification of military affairs proposed by Yuan Shikai made the alliance extremely nervous, and in the case of difficult support, they were ready to pull the new Chinese party to help. Sun Yuanqi didn't want to talk nonsense, and said bluntly: "What Chief Song said was President Yuan's proposal to clarify military affairs yesterday, right?" ”

"Exactly!" Song Jiaoren did not take a detour, "Obviously, Yuan Xiangcheng's move has ulterior motives. Although there are now more than 1.2 million soldiers in the country, and it is true that countless military salaries are spent, the vast majority of the troops paid through the national treasury are Yuan's Beiyang descendants. Moreover, among these 1.2 million people, more than half of the Yuan's Beiyang descendants and other armies attached to Yuan should be accounted for. If he really wants to avoid the fiscal deficit and reduce the burden on the people, why not lead by example and first disband the redundant army and stop the purchase and transportation of firearms?

"Yuan Xiangcheng is only proposing to clarify military affairs now, and once the State Council agrees, he will inevitably suggest that whether the training is good and whether the weapons are sophisticated should be used as the criteria for dismantling and disbandment. As we all know, the Beiyang descendants of the Yuan clan have been in army for the longest time, are quite experienced in battle, and are well-equipped, and no matter how they are dismantled, they will not be dismantled. In this way, only the revolutionary troops in our south can be dismantled and disbanded, and this is also his real purpose in clarifying military affairs!

"Now that the southern revolution has hundreds of thousands of troops in their hands, Yuan Xiangcheng is a little jealous. If we let Yuan Xiangcheng's plan succeed, he will inevitably use force against the provinces south of the Yangtze River after weakening the southern forces and strengthening the centralization of military power, in order to eliminate dissidents and call them lonely. If our alliance is cut off by Yuan Xiangcheng, I believe that the New China Party will be difficult to exist alone! So now we have to make a concerted effort to block the passage of this proposal at the Council of State. ”

Sun Yuanqi said: "Sun naturally understands the truth of cold lips and teeth, but Yuan Xiangcheng's proposal is not untargeted. It is said that the State Council and the Grand Presidential Office will have to borrow money from the banks of the six countries every one or two months, otherwise there will be no rice to eat. Every time we borrow money from a group of banks in six countries, we use national interests as collateral, and this is not a long-term solution. Come to think of it, you can only use military funds to open the knife. Yuan Xiangcheng's reasons are also upright and reasonable. (To be continued.)