Improving the Management and Guidance System, and Enhancing the Development Quality of Law Schools and Colleges

Legal education and legal theory research are on the honorable mission of cultivating high-quality rule-of-law personnel and providing theoretical support for the rule of law in China, and play an important role in advancing the law-based governance in all fields. The Opinions on Strengthening Legal Education and Legal Theory Research in the New Era (hereinafter referred to as the “Opinions” ) issued by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the General Office of the State Council in 2023 to meet the needs of legal education and legal theory research at present and in the future further clarifies the directions of legal education and legal theory research, and carries great importance for strengthening legal education, deepening legal research, improving the cultivation quality of rule-of-law personnel, and advancing law-based governance in all fields. The Opinions also puts forward new requirements for thoroughly implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC and XI Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, and continuously cultivating high-quality rule-of-law personnel.

Safeguarding Farmer Workers' Rights and Interests——An interview with Ye Jingyi, professor of Beijing University Law School

Farmer workers are a new powerful workforce that has sprung up amid China＇s reform and door opening and in the process of the country＇s industrialization and urbanization. They have made great contributions to urban prosperity, rural development and their country＇s modernization. At present, however, farmer workers face numerous difficulties and problems in income, work safety, social security, vocational training, the schooling of their children and living conditions. To safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of farmer workers, the State Council in March 2006 issued Ideas of the State Council on Solving Farmer Workers-related Problems. In the document, the State Council promises to strengthen and improve leadership over work regarding farmer workers and prioritize the solving of farmer workers-related problems.

Improve Labor Contract System, Safeguard Lawful Rights and Interests of Laborers——An interview with Prof. Guan Huai of Law School of Renmin University of China

EDITOR＇S NOTE： The Draft Labor Contract Law of the People＇s Republic of China has been completed and was published for soliciting comments on March 20. In a short period of one month, 191,849 pieces of comments and opinions were received. Prior to the promulgation of the law, this reporter interviewed Mr. Guan Huai, a noted Chinese expert in labor law, professor of the Law School of the Renmin University of China and law advisor to the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.

Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Research Center Peking University Law School

In order to implement the stipulation in the National Human Rights Action Plan （2012-2015） requiring the addition of no less than five national human rights education and training bases by 2015, the appraisal and selection meeting for the second group of national human rights education and training bases was held on March 17, 2014 in Beijing.

Law School of Nankai University Holds International Seminar on National Human Rights Action Plan

The Information Office of the State council issued the first National Human Rights Action Plan of China （NHRAP） （2009-2010） on April 13, 2009. The Nankai University participated in the drafting of this significant national document on human rights, with three teachers invited one after another to work at the panel of experts under the drafting committee. In cooperation with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law （RWlHRHL） of Sweden, the Research Center for Human Rights under Law School of the university held an international seminar titled ＂Formulation and Implementation of NHRAP- Swedish Experience.＂

Interview With Prof. Ved P. Nanda, School of Law, University of Denver, USA

Editor's Note: On Sept 9, the staff reporter of Human Rights magazine You Xueyun interviewed Prof. Ved P. Nanda, School of Law, University of Denver, USA and Honorary President of World Jurist Association (WJA). He attended the 22nd Congress on the Law of the World held by WJA in Beijing and Shanghai, China, from Sept.4-10. Following is his viewpoints on human rights.

Protection of Human Rights through Administrative Litigation——An interview with Professor Zhan Zhongle,School of Law,Peking University

Question： Would you elaborate on the progress China has made under the state policy of reform and opening-up in improving the system of administrative litigation？ Answer： Efforts-in this reguard began in 1982, with publication of the Law of Civil Procedures （for trial implementation）.

A Programmatic Document for Strengthening Legal Education and Legal Theory Research in the New Era: Interpretation of the Opinions on Strengthening Legal Education and Legal Theory Research in the New Era

The release of the Opinions on Strengthening Legal Education and Legal Theory Research in the New Era(hereinafter referred to as the“Opinions”)is a milestone in the history of legal education since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.Standing at a new historical starting point for exercising law-based governance on all fronts and advancing the rule of law in China,this document outlines new development goals for legal education and legal theory research in the new era from both short-term and long-term perspectives.It adheres to the guidance of XI Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,and puts forward the principles of upholding and strengthening the overall leadership under the Communist Party of China,adhering to the scientific guidance of XI Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law,accomplishing the core task of economic development and serving the overall interests of the country,fostering virtue through education and cultivating talent with both moral quality and legal literacy,following the objective law,and integrating the underlying tenets of Marxism with China’s realities and the fine traditional Chinese culture,thus establishing the principles for the new development of legal education and legal theory research in the new era.It proposes to strengthen top-level design and strategic arrangements,promote the reform and improvement of the law school system,accelerate the improvement of the legal education system,and innovatively develop the legal theory research system.Therefore,a new development landscape for legal education and legal theory research in the new era has been established.The Opinions clearly stipulates the leadership system,management system,and coordination mechanism for legal education and legal theory research,and creates a new development system for legal education and legal theory research in the new era.

BRIEF VIEW ON THE STANDARDIZED TRAINING OF LEGAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Because of the massive expansion in enrollment, the number of graduates from law schools across the country is unprecedented, but the rate of unemployment is also unprecedented in comparison with the graduation. In stark contrast, many employees are finding it difficult to find graduates of talent fitting directly to working requirements. The traditional mode of education is to cultivate students with legal research abilities, but the main social need calls for graduates who are prepared to practice, which has caused the low employment. As a result, the graduates＇ failure to meet the social demand caused serious imbalance between supply and demand. The characteristic of legal practice skills is to solve practical problems through the practice of adapting legal knowledge, but practical skill training in law school education now is basically nonexistent. The training of legal practice skills must be conducted through aspects of course design, and therefore teaching methods necessitate comprehensive reformation. The practice skills of the legal profession, such as basic literacy, basic skills, and work skills, are indispensable to the education of students. Educating them to attain these skills will aid them directly in practical work after graduation, improve their work quality and employment rate, and consequently improve the whole overall quality of the legal profession.