respecting
education, knowledge and talent. And this has vitalized
education in China and promoted social progress. As a
result, China's higher education gradually came back on
the right track of development.
After
the end of 1978 when China began implementing reform and
open policies, the scale of higher education kept expanding
and conditions with which to run schools improved. But
the most striking development was a broad and deep reform
that was carried out in the field of higher education.
The reform has brought about profound changes in higher
education's school system and administrative system, systems
of enrollment and job assignment for graduates, the setup
of specialities, systems of teaching materials, scientific
research and funding, and logistics. The tendency to place
a lopsided emphasis on the specialization of branches
of learning was criticized. Institutions of higher learning
changed their speciality structure and curricula, broadened
the service scope of their specialities, and opened more
optional courses. In teaching activities, rigid modes
of teaching was changes and more attention was paid to
fostering students' independent learning and thinking
ability. In 1981, the system of graduate studies was established,
and academic researches became part of the curricula;
institutions of higher learning, manufacturers and research
institutes worked together for an integration of production,
teaching and scientific research; key laboratories were
established to engage in |
|
basic researches.
Logistics is a principal cause of the bloated administrative
structure of colleges and universities. To solve the problem,
reform aimed at socializing services has begun with initial
good results for some schools.
The year
of 1997 saw the launch of "Program
211," which aims to establish about 100 key institutions
of higher learning and key research projects poised to
meet challenges of the 21st century. With the execution
of the program, China will have a well-functioning system
of key branches of learning and make efforts to enable
some branches of learning approach or reach world advanced
levels. A rational, multi-tiered structure of higher education
is expected to take shape in China.
After
years of persistent increases in enrollment, by the year
2000, the rate of admissions for institutions of higher
learning had reached 11 percent. In China's 1,841 institutions
of higher learning, total enrollment reached 11 million.
The Ministry of Education says explicitly that by 2005
the rate of admissions for institutions of higher learning
will reach 15 percent. If this goal is attained, total
enrollment by then would reach 16 million. China would
rank first in the world in the number of students receiving
a higher education. The country's higher education would
have transitioned from an elitist to a popular education.
For a populous country such as China, this would be a
great achievement. |
