The minister of education of the People's Republic of China is the head of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China and a member of the State Council. Within the State Council, the position is fourth in order of precedence. The minister is responsible for leading the ministry, presiding over its meetings, and signing important documents related to the ministry. Officially, the minister is nominated by the premier of the State Council, who is then approved by the National People's Congress or its Standing Committee and appointed by the president.
The current minister is Huai Jinpeng, who concurrently serves as the Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of the ministry.
History The Ministry of Education of the Central People's Government was established on 1 October 1949, and Ma Xulun became the first minister on 19 October. The ministry was reorganized to the Ministry of Education of the PRC in September 1954, and the title of the minister was also changed. On 26 July 1968, during the Cultural Revolution, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the State Council and the Central Military Commission decided to implement military rule over the ministry; the Director of the Military Control Commission Zhu Kui served as the head of the ministry. On 22 June 1970, the Ministry of Education was abolished and merged into the Science and Education Group of the State Council. On 17 January 1975, the Science and Education Group of the State Council was abolished and the Ministry of Education was re-established. On 18 June 1985, the Ministry of Education was renamed to the State Education Commission, and was named back to the Ministry of Education on 10 March 1993.
List of ministers PortraitNameTerm of officeImportant offices held during tenurePremierTook officeLeft officeTermMinister of Education of the Central People's Government1Ma Xulun马叙伦19 October 194915 November 1952Member of the Central People's GovernmentDeputy Director of the Cultural and Educational Committee of the Central People's GovernmentDirector of the Chinese Character Reform Research CommitteeChairman of the China Democratic LeagueZhou Enlai2Zhang Xiruo张奚若15 November 195228 September 1954Vice Chairman of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the State CouncilPresident of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign AffairsMinister of Education of the People's Republic of China2Zhang Xiruo张奚若28 September 195411 February 1958Director of the Foreign Cultural Liaison CommitteePresident of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign AffairsZhou Enlai3Yang Xiufeng杨秀峰11 February 195822 July 1964Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of EducationDeputy Director of the Second Office of the State Council–Liu Jiping刘季平22 July 19644 October 1964Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Education4He Wei何伟4 October 196426 July 1968Director of the Military Control Commission of the Ministry of Education–Zhu Kui朱奎26 July 196822 June 1970Zhou Enlai From 22 June 1970 to 17 January 1975, the post of Minister of Education was abolished.Minister of Education of the People's Republic of China5Zhou Rongxin周荣鑫17 January 197513 April 1976Zhou Enlai↓Hua Guofeng Vacant 13 April 1976 – 25 January 19776Liu Xiyao刘西尧25 January 197723 February 1979Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of EducationHua Guofeng7Jiang Nanxiang项怀诚23 February 19794 May 1982Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of EducationHua Guofeng↓Zhao Ziyang8He Dongchang何东昌4 May 198218 June 1985Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of EducationVice Chairman of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State CouncilZhao ZiyangDirector of the State Education Commission of the People's Republic of China9Li Peng李鹏18 June 198512 April 1988Vice Premier of the State CouncilHead of the State Council's Electronic Revitalization Leading GroupSecretary of the CCP SecretariatMember of the CCP Politburo Standing CommitteeActing Premier of the State CouncilZhao Ziyang↓Li Peng10Li Tieying李铁映12 April 198829 March 1993Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the State Education CommissionMember of the CCP PolitburoState CouncillorLi Peng11Zhu Kaixuan朱开轩29 March 199310 March 1998Alternate Member of the CCP Central CommitteeDirector of the NPC Education, Science, Culture and Public Health CommitteeMinister of Education of the People's Republic of China12Chen Zhili陈至立10 March 199817 March 2003Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of EducationZhu Rongji13Zhou Ji周济17 March 200331 October 2009Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of EducationWen Jiabao港报：袁贵仁有望接任中国教育部长. Lianhe Zaobao. 14Yuan Guiren袁贵仁31 October 20092 July 2016Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of EducationWen Jiabao↓Li Keqiang15Chen Baosheng陈宝生2 July 201620 August 2021Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of EducationLi Keqiang16Huai Jinpeng怀进鹏20 August 2021IncumbentSecretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of EducationLi Keqiang↓Li Qiang
Timeline
See also Ministry of Education (Taiwan) lists pre-1949 ministers of education in the Republic of China, which controlled portions of mainland China until that year
References