Sustainable education policy development in China By JianLi, Cham: Springer Nature. 2023. pp. 126. USD 89.10 (hardback). ISBN: 9789819911905

The question of sustainable education is more than a matter of wording. It involves different aspects and levels of education. Sustainable education can be defined as a pedagogical strategy to find long-lasting solutions in education regarding the environmental and socio-economic issues that challenge today's society (Selwyn, 2024; Zuccoli et al., 2022). Jian Li's Sustainable Education Policy Development in China examines sustainable education policy in preschools, corporate organizations, and vocational and higher education of China based on three pillars: equality, integrity, and fairness. The first chapter interrogates the potential of sustainable education in preschools or elementary schools in China. With a focus on the competition between countries to reach excellence in technology and science, Li reminds readers of the importance of finding vigorous talents and training high-skilled workers. The chapter provides some interesting suggestions to strengthen preschool education: the elaboration of public policies from the government, the need to strengthen preschool teacher teams and channels, the expansion of kindergartens, and increasing the rights and interests of students in rural preschools. In rural China, the opportunities for students to reach preschool or elementary school are certainly limited due to obstacles like distance, poor transport infrastructure, and inter-class inequalities. The chapter argues that policy makers should devote considerable resources and attention in reducing these asymmetries to offer equal opportunities to rural students, reducing drop-out rates in urban areas. China's different ethnic minorities are sometimes treated as a problem by the central administration in Beijing. The policies emanating from the central administration to recruit talent simply fail because ethnic diversity is not officially recognized. To resolve this problem, technology plays a leading role in training ethnic students to improve their skills and become the future workforce of China. In this respect, China is a country with serious material imbalances. Some ethnic minorities are excluded from public education. In some rural areas, teachers are low-paid while school districts face budgetary restrictions. Sustainable development education can not only assist ethnic groups with loans or financial aid but can also notably improve the local economies. One of the goals of ethnic education consists of giving equal opportunities to all ethnic minorities, generating a climate of unity and political stability. The exclusion of ethnic group students means the exclusion of a future brilliant workforce. To solve this, the author enumerates a set of steps to help expand sustainable development education in ethnically (segregated) communities. Chapter 3 discusses the future of sustainable development in vocational education. For more than 40 years, vocational education occupied a central position in Chinese higher education, but recently the system has been facing many challenges. Vocational education sets the pace of training future generations of workers. The recent changes in the labor market require that vocational education be aligned with the new times. The market is subject to constant changes. Hence, vocational education should satisfy the requirements of professional skills and on-the-job, as well as pre-job, training. Many vocational schools have entered a financial crisis; insufficient funding and a reduction in the number of qualified teachers are two of the main concerns that often worry national authorities. As Li notes, vocational schools are urged to adapt their curricula to the requirements of the labor market (adopting highly demanded careers such as management, marketing, or smart business). The fourth chapter examines the intersection of sustainable development theory, at least as it was imagined in China, with higher education. As the author asserts, sustainable development of higher education is based on the social economy and political life of the country. Li argues that the concept should be rigorously evaluated according to three values: fairness, equality, and integrity. These values aim to ensure that all students have the same opportunities and are treated equally in the field of education. The fifth chapter deciphers the current distortions and problems of elementary school in China. These problems deter the incorporation of a sustainable agenda. One of the paradoxes of global organizations such as the UN (United Nations) or international ecological goals is the lack of applicability country by country. This means that the ecological goals are globally planned without taking particular consideration of the reality of each country. Beyond the achievements of reform, basic education is facing serious imbalances in China. These imbalances are certainly the result of the decline of human resources as well as the unfair wealth distribution in society. Finally, Chapter 6 interrogates the development of lifelong education to solve the problems mentioned in earlier chapters. Per this stance, lifelong learning can be supported by the rapid growth of digital technologies. Lifelong learning has become more than a buzzword, it is a real trend that invigorates local economies. The popularization of lifelong learning is conducive to the ideal of sustainable development. Lifelong learning boosts social engagement and reduces conflicts among stakeholders. It also encompasses formal and informal learning, adjusting the curricula to each economy. Although interesting, the reviewed book has strengths and weaknesses. Its originality and attention to the importance of new eco-friendly policies in higher education have merit. Chapters are organized from a managerial viewpoint that gives practical lessons toward a sustainable education. In a world threatened by climate change and a much deeper (if not irreversible) ecological crisis, the future of education is mainly marked by its capacity for adaptation, mutation, and change. It includes an update of curricula and the education of new workforce, as well as the cultivation of sustainable values for next generations. Unfortunately the managerial paradigm, which often prioritizes a profit-based curriculum, overlooks the challenges posed by climate change. Having said this, the book gives priority to technology to solve serious asymmetrical inequalities historically cemented in Chinese culture. What seems to be equally important, the book ignores not only the ambiguous role of China in adhering to the international protocols to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also evades discussing to what extent the CPC (Chinese Communist Party) has responsibility for the current problems of education enumerated in the chapters. Despite these criticisms, the book is a high-quality product that covers different aspects of Chinese education. This book is strongly recommended for educational anthropologists for two main reasons. On one hand, it gives an accurate description of the current education system in China, a description that helps to interrogate the crisis of Western education. As a cultural mirror, the book offers a reflexive reading that constructs new pedagogic policies for Western educational anthropology. It also calls for the coordination of efforts to deal with climate change, an important topic in all of anthropology today. The author enumerates successful steps to articulate a sustainable agenda for years to come. Tong Hu is a teacher of professional theory teaching and research with the Department of Dance College, Shenyang Conservatory of Music; has a Postgraduate degree, Master's degree of Pedagogy; and is mainly engaged in educational policy, pedagogy, and psychology research.