Abstract:

Recognizing the phenomenon that “there is labour without education” necessitates the theoretical-philosophical reconsideration, in particular, of the conception of labour education and of the relationship between labour and education. In comparison with moral education, intellectual education, physical education as well as aesthetic education, labour education is a compound of these educational concepts and meanwhile a link between general education and the real-life labour world. To transform ‘labour’ into ‘labour education’, or say to think of ‘labour’ from the education perspective, it is to develop conscious, natural, and organic connection between labour practice in general sense and the cultivation of educational competencies embodied in morals, intelligence, physical health and aesthetics. The practice of labour education is fundamentally associated with the daily educational life. Emphasizing the educational conception of labour not only helps rectify the current distorted situation in which ‘there is labour without education’, but also has other significant implications. That is, it also helps implementing an all-round labour education, building a proper relationship between labour education and students’ daily lives, preventing ‘anti-labour education’, and respecting the educational principles that are inherent in different stages of schooling and in various educational institutions.

Key words: labour education, labour without education, anti-labour education