Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called for a tighter ideological grip on university campuses and in schools, demanding teachers step in to fend off what the ruling Communist Party sees as the “wrong ideas”. Speaking at a seminar in Beijing attended by teachers from across the country, Xi also called for courses on ideological and political theory to be strengthened at all levels, from primary schools to universities. Starting with toddlers, Xi said China must “nurture generation after generation [of young people] who support Chinese Communist Party rule and China’s socialist system”. “Most importantly, we must emphasise [taking the correct stance] on politics such that people who have faith [in the party] can preach what they believe in,” Xi said. “And these people must be able to analyse problems with the right political perspective and have a clear mind in telling right from wrong.” The Chinese leader also called on the nation’s educators to take the initiative to instil patriotism in the nation’s youth and reject “wrong ideas and ideology”. Xi said the key to strengthening ideological and political education was teachers, and that they should shoulder responsibility in spreading party-approved ideology. Chinese teachers detained and demoted for playing mahjong at home “Party secretaries and principals of schools must take the lead in teaching theories of politics to the students … and in building and strengthening our army of professional teachers … who are strong in teaching politics,” Xi said. “We need to spread mainstream ideology and directly confront all kinds of wrong viewpoints and ideologies,” he said in a veiled reference to Western ideas and influences. “We need to guide the students to be confident about socialism with Chinese characteristics … to have patriotism deeply ingrained among the students, so that they will voluntarily participate in … the building of a great modern socialist country and the struggle for rejuvenating the Chinese nation,” he said. Teachers should also set the right example for students in the classroom, privately and in cyberspace, Xi said – apparently suggesting that educators would be held accountable for anything they put online. His speech comes after a nationwide crackdown on a small but burgeoning student movement led by young Marxist activists at universities in major cities, protesting over growing inequality and corruption in Chinese society. Since Xi took power in 2012, the party has sought to curb the spread of “Western values” on campuses, banning textbooks that promote “Western ideas” such as democracy and rule of law. Why Beijing isn’t Marxist enough for China’s radical millennials The president vowed in 2016 to turn university campuses into “strongholds of the party’s leadership” and has demanded that they strengthen Marxist teachings. Dozens of higher education institutions such as Peking University and Renmin University have set up new departments on “Xi Jinping Thought” since Xi’s political theory was enshrined in the party constitution in 2017.