劳动作为出路——新中国成立初期动员中小学毕业生参加农业生产的问题史

Labor as Way Out——A Historical Study on the Issue of Mobilizing Primary and Secondary School Graduates for Agricultural Production in the Early Period of PRC

1957年4月8日,《人民日报》发表了社论文章《关于中小学毕业生参加农业生产问题》。其中指出,1957年仅有小部分初中和高小毕业生能升学,绝大多数将不能升学,主要出路是到农村参加农业生产劳动,由此引发了社会各界的广泛关注和讨论。以这一社论为切入点,通过对1957年动员中小学毕业生参加农业生产这一问题的讨论,可呈现新中国成立初期中国共产党致力于中小学普通教育和适应国家治理需求的历史实践过程。其典型表现是将中小学毕业生参加农业劳动视为"做新中国第一代有文化的农民"的重要议题,那么,如何对劳动尤其是体力劳动作出时代性回应就成为理解这一问题史的关键。

The People’s Daily published an editorial entitled"On the Issue of the Participation of Primary and Secondary School Graduates in Agricultural Production"on April 8,1957.It pointed out that in 1957,only a small portion of high level primary school students(grade 5 and grade 6 students)and junior high school graduates could be admitted to a school of higher level while the vast majority were rejected.The main way out for the rejected was to participate in agricultural production in the countryside,which aroused widespread concern and discussion from all works of life.Taking the editorial as the departure of discussion,the paper attempts to present the historical and practical course of the CPC’s dedication in general education in primary and secondary schools and their adaptation to the needs of national governance in the early period of People’s Republic of China(PRC)by discussing the issue of mobilizing primary and secondary school graduates to participate in agricultural production in 1957.A prevalent view at the time held that the participation of primary and secondary school graduates in agricultural labor was an important issue on the agenda of"fostering the first generation of educated farmers in New China".In view of this,how to make an epochal response to labor,especially manual labor,becomes the key to understanding this historical issue.