194: Educational issues

Although reports of victory streamed in from various battlefields, the burden on Jiang Xin's shoulders never lightened. In addition to frontline command, he had to handle a mountain of military and administrative documents. He had to both devise strategies to win battles thousands of miles away and worry about the basic necessities of a million survivors.

On this day, a report titled "Report on the Issue of Youth Education for Base Citizens" was placed on his desk.

Jiang Xin put down the pen he was using to review troop movements and rubbed his brow, his gaze falling on the somewhat heavy report. He remained silent for a moment before slowly opening it. The data in the report showed that the five major survivor bases currently under his command—Yongjiang, Lujiang, Qianzhou, Region, and Region—had a total population exceeding 1.3 million. Among them, the number of infants and teenagers aged 0 to 15 had actually exceeded a staggering 100,000!

In the early days, for survival, he had mandated that those over 12 years old must participate in labor. However, as the scale of the bases expanded, especially with the high efficiency of factories bolstered by space-time technology, the demand for ordinary labor had actually decreased. He had already raised the legal working age to 15, but the state of these 100,000 children being "idle at home with nothing to do" had become an increasingly prominent social issue and safety hazard, not to mention a massive waste for the future. Education, an issue temporarily set aside during the apocalypse, was now urgent.

He looked up at Jiang Feifei, who was focused on processing resource allocation documents nearby, and handed the report over: "Jiang Feifei, take a look at this."

Hearing this, Jiang Feifei put down her work, took the report, and read it carefully. Her beautiful brows furrowed at times and smoothed out at others, clearly indicating she was thinking rapidly. After a while, she looked up and said seriously, "Commander, the issue of education has indeed reached a point where it must be resolved immediately. 100,000 teenagers cannot remain in a state of being left to their own devices; this is both a waste of resources and a breeding ground for problems. We must establish schools and restore the education system as soon as possible."

Jiang Xin nodded, leaning back in his chair and signaling her to continue: "Do you have any specific ideas? Tell me."

Jiang Feifei thought for a moment and explained clearly: "Simply copying the pre-apocalyptic model of nine years of compulsory education plus three years of high school and the college entrance exam is probably unrealistic. The investment cycle is too long, and the training speed is too slow to meet our urgent need for rapid civilization reconstruction and professional talent replenishment." She paused, her eyes flashing with the light of bold reform. "I believe we must carry out drastic reforms. The core objective should be the efficient screening and rapid cultivation of practical talent."

"Hmm, the logic is clear. Be more specific." Jiang Xin showed a look of approval. Jiang Feifei was not only his partner but also a highly intelligent and bold manager who often provided key suggestions on administrative matters.

Encouraged, Jiang Feifei grew more confident and spoke faster: "I suggest setting the cycle for basic education to ten years. We should abolish the original college entrance exam selection mechanism and instead use an annual comprehensive evaluation plus a unified university entrance exam to screen the best students for advanced studies. University majors should be highly focused, prioritizing fields crucial for rebuilding our home, such as science and engineering, medicine, agronomy, and military technology. Those who fail to enter university will be directly assigned to various factories or technical positions based on base needs and personal inclination to receive short-term, efficient vocational skills training and become qualified technical workers as quickly as possible."

Jiang Xin listened intently, nodding from time to time. This plan balanced efficiency and fairness, ensuring both the cultivation of high-end talent and a stable source of grassroots technical strength for base construction. Next, the two discussed the details in depth: how to divide the school system, how to set the curriculum, how to solve the teacher shortage, how to build universities, how to link with military recruitment... By the time night fell and the office lights were lit, a detailed "Outline of the Red Alert Legion Jurisdiction Education Revitalization Plan" was finally drafted, with the decision to officially announce it to all bases the following day.

The next morning.

The cafeterias of the major bases were as noisy as ever, with people queuing for breakfast and discussing the previous day's work and trivia. However, just as everyone was preparing to start a new day of labor, the cafeteria managers stood in prominent positions, clapped their hands for attention, and pointed to the large public screens on the walls.

"Everyone, please quiet down! The Legion Headquarters has issued a new policy regarding the important matter of our children's schooling! Commander-in-Chief Jiang and the officers attach great importance to this! Now, everyone, look at the screen!"

Hearing this, everyone put down their bowls and chopsticks, looking at the screen with curiosity and expectation. Especially those parents with school-aged children at home—their eyes instantly lit up.

"Great! The leaders have finally thought about the children's education!" a middle-aged woman said excitedly to her companion. "My little rascal is about to turn the house upside down; he does nothing but cause trouble. If he can be sent back to school, I'll have so much more peace of mind!"

"Tell me about it! My daughter is also idle all day, and I've been feeling uneasy. With a school, the children can learn knowledge and be under supervision. It's truly a wonderful thing!" another mother chimed in, her face beaming with joy.

On the screen, striking titles and clauses appeared one by one:

【Red Alert Legion Interim Regulations on the Issue of Youth Education in the Jurisdiction】

1. General Principles: All youth under the age of 16 must undergo systematic education again based on their age group.

2. Infant and Toddler Care: Children aged 0-6 can be sent to public childcare centers in the base. Childcare hours will match the working hours of each unit. Parents are responsible for a portion of the meal costs, while educational and care expenses will be subsidized by the base's finances.

3. Compulsory Education: A ten-year compulsory education system (ages 6-16) will be implemented. Graduation and promotion qualification assessments will be held every year in early July. Those who do not qualify for university admission will be uniformly assigned to various production and construction positions by the base.

4. Teachers and School Construction: Each base is to immediately organize childcare centers and compulsory education schools. Priority will be given to recruiting those with pre-apocalyptic experience as preschool or school teachers; once hired, they will receive excellent benefits.

5. Curriculum:

· Grades 1-4: Majors in National Studies (Language and Literature, Ethics and Morality), Mathematics (Basic Operations, Logic). Electives: Martial Arts and Combat, Post-Apocalyptic Survival, etc.

· Grades 5-7: Added History (History of Huaxia Civilization, History of Post-Apocalyptic Development), Physics (Basic Principles, Applied Common Sense). Electives: Preliminary understanding of Superpowers, zombies, and mutant beasts.

· Grades 8-10: Added Chemistry, Biology, Geography.

6. Higher Education: Four higher education institutions will be founded in the Lujiang City-County-Longxing City area (the political, military, and cultural center of the Red Alert Legion):

· Huaxia University (Comprehensive)

· Kyushu University (Science and Engineering)

· Shenzhou University (Humanities, Social Sciences, and Medicine)

· Red Alert University (Military Technology and Superpower Research)

· Majors cover Medicine, Agronomy, Science, Engineering, Education, and cutting-edge interdisciplinary fields. Faculty will be selected from researchers and Senior Engineers of various Red Alert Legion research centers. (Specific university enrollment dates to be determined.)

7. Special Recruitment:

· Graduates of compulsory education may apply to join the army.

· The Military Academy of Red Alert University will conduct early recruitment every June to train officers, who will be commissioned with the rank of second lieutenant upon graduation.

· Students aged 12 and above who perform excellently in school will have the opportunity to obtain zombie crystal cores to awaken Superpowers. Those who awaken special Superpowers can be specially recruited into the Superpower Academy of Red Alert University for advanced studies... As the policy clauses scrolled across the screen, the cafeteria first fell into a dead silence, followed by an explosion of heated discussion!

"Fantastic! My son just turned 7, and I was worried about no one looking after him! I'm going to sign him up right now!" a man stood up excitedly, not even finishing his meal.

"The leaders have thought of everything! I heard that people in many other places are still starving, but here we can not only eat our fill and dress warmly, but adults have jobs and children can go to school for free! This is... this is like living in a cradle of blessings!" a middle-aged woman said with emotion.

An older man wiped the corners of his eyes, his voice choking. "Yes, compared to before, it's like night and day! This life has something to look forward to!"

The people nearby also sighed and wept.

In the crowd, a man in his fifties wearing glasses, his hands trembling slightly, looked repeatedly at the words "Recruiting Teachers" on the screen and murmured, "Finally... finally I can return to the podium..." He had taught National Studies for over twenty years before the apocalypse, and after it began, he had only been assigned to do clerical work in a sub-district office. He had been depressed, and at this moment, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

A slightly younger history teacher next to him also grabbed his arm excitedly: "Old Li! Did you see? History class! I can continue to teach the children history! We can't let our roots be severed!"

Hope, like a warm spring breeze, instantly swept through every base. This was not just about giving children books to read; it was a declaration that a brand-new, orderly, and future-oriented civilized society was tenaciously taking root and sprouting again on this scarred land. This decision by Jiang Xin ignited a flame in the hearts of countless families that was far brighter and more enduring than any report of victory.