The purpose of education is to train the educated to become the general requirement of a certain social need. The purpose of education is determined according to the requirements of political, economic, production, cultural and scientific development of a certain society and the physical and mental development of the educated. It reflects the requirements of a certain society for the educated, is the starting point and ultimate goal of educational work, and is also the basis for determining educational content, selecting educational methods, and checking and evaluating educational effects.

The aims of education and teaching are universal and special. The purpose of education is the general requirement of what kind of talents the country trains, which reflects the general demand of social members for education. Teaching purpose is the requirement of realizing educational purpose in teaching field, which reflects the needs of teaching subjects. The purpose of education guides the purpose of teaching, and the purpose of teaching must obey the purpose of education.

Usually, the purpose of education should be transformed into the purpose of teaching, and the needs of society should be concretized into the needs of teaching subjects.