Gradually Solving Problems in Reforms

Although the reform measures at Chinese universities have their supporters, critical views have been endorsed and the airing of negative opinions is incessant.

Xiong Bingqi, a famous education scholar, believes the current college autonomous enrollment mode is tripling the stress on college applicants. The students have to pass written tests offered by a specific university or an alliance of universities, then participate in interviews with the schools they aspire to, and sit for the conventional national college entrance exam before they can make it into their desired school. If a student applies to several universities through the autonomous enrollment channel it means taking more exams, adding to the physical, psychological and financial burden on them and their parents. What's more, the autonomy of the college is actually very limited: its range of choice is confined to students whose scores meet the baseline mark in the national college entrance exam set by educational authorities for the class of colleges to which they apply.

Luo Lan's mother fully understands. This year, she has accompanied Luo Lan to take autonomous enrollment exams for five universities in and out of Beijing, their hometown, spending tens of thousands of yuan. To make sure she was putting her best foot forward, she rented a harp for 15 days at RMB 2,000 per day and hired a person to transport the instrument for RMB 400 per day in Beijing, and RMB 1,200 a day in Tianjin. Adding their transport and accommodation, the cost came to tens of thousands of yuan.

Such a sum is unimaginable for students from less affluent families. Yang Yuliang, president of Fudan University, hence thinks current autonomous enrollment systems are particularly unfair to rural applicants. "Few students in remote areas can get sufficient information on autonomous enrollment, and still fewer can afford to take the relevant exams in big cities," he indicated. Even the lucky ones who scrape up the money and make the trip will find themselves at a remarkable disadvantage in the interview process, owing to their very modest exposure to the wider world and scant training on how to present themselves. Needless to say, an applicant's performance at interviews is a decisive factor in the pre-qualification for autonomous enrollment.

Whether a university can exercise autonomy in enrollment, and to what extent, still depends on the Ministry of Education. For instance, Xiong says, if Fudan can independently cull applicants as it sees fit for its whole recruitment in Shanghai next year remains an open question, given the pending decision by the Ministry. Approval by the Ministry is required for such specifics as the quota of autonomous enrollment and the areas of application.

The reality is SUSTC's attempt to exercise autonomy has undergone several setbacks. First it was denied the recruitment right granted by the Ministry of Education, with the result that the 45 students it recruited were pressed to take the national college entrance exam anyway. The fact that the mayor of Shenzhen became director of the management council of SUSTC is viewed by many as a negation of its efforts to get rid of administration. "If it doesn't want the academic diploma granted by the Ministry of Education, the authorities should allow it to grant students its own diploma," said Zhu Yongxin, vice chairman of Chinese Education Society. "Otherwise market mechanisms are not playing a role in education," he added.

In Xiong's opinion, to realize true autonomy in student selection, the education authorities should change the function of the current national college entrance exam from filtration to evaluation. After the release of students' scores in the national exam, universities should independently set their own score requirements for students to apply. The students who meet the score thresholds of several universities can apply to all of them at the same time if they like. It is possible for a student to obtain several college admission notices and make a choice.

Where market mechanisms are gradually fulfilling their role – in the fields of college tuition fees and employment – problems have arisen. President Ji of Renmin University said, although the proportion of rural students to the whole student body in higher learning institutions is still about 50 percent, in prestigious universities that ratio has been shrinking for five consecutive years. And job competition is getting more intense for fresh college graduates: hundreds of thousands end up unemployed every year.

In response, the government has introduced a series of policies to ease student entry into college and make their exit into the ranks of the employed easier too. China has established a system of grants to aid students in poverty. These cover a reduction or exemption of tuition fees, grant-in-aid, student loans, scholarships, and work opportunities to help with study expenses. All colleges are required to inform applicants of the relevant policies on assistance. In addition, the government has introduced stimulus policies like compensation for tuition fees and write-offs of student loans for graduates who agree to work in grassroots units in the least developed areas for three years or more or join the army. Those who start their own businesses also enjoy some national support policies concerning registration, bank loans, taxes and fees. The government also provides training and guidance for college students considering opening their own businesses.