Dramatic Social changes and Higher Education Reforms in China

1. Dramatic Social changes and Higher Education Reforms in China Wang Yingjie Beijing Normal University wangyj@bnu.edu.cn

2. Dramatic Changes of Chinese Society • Changes in national economy • Changes of government roles • Transformation of a Closed Society into an Open Society • Changes in Family

3. Changes in national economy • Transformation from planning economy to market economy • Fast growth: the average annual growth rate of GDP is 7.8% between 1978 and 2012.

4. 3. Flowing of Labor Force The proportions of labor force working in the primary, secondary and third industry were respectively 14.39%, 45.15% and 40.46% in 2001, and they changed to 10.12%, 46.78%, and 43.10% in 2011.

6. 4. Transformation of Production Modes The knowledge-based economy had its first step in China. Enterprises have to turn labor-intensive mode of production into the technology-intensive one.

7. 5. Unbalanced Development and Enlarged Income Gap The gap of development levels between coastal and frontier areas is enlarging. The income difference between urban and rural areas and among different social groups is getting worse.

8. Transformation of Government Roles 1. The policy making process is more decentralized. 2. The government confines its roles to making policy and providing supervision, guidance or service.

9. Transformation of a Closed Society into an Open Society 1. China shares 11.1% of the world total amount of import and export in 2012.

10. 2. The internet has been widely used.

11. 3. American living style and Western culture also came in. Coca-Cola is one of the most popular soft drinks. McDonald and Kentucky Fried Chicken are widely spread over China. Nike shoes and fashion blue jeans are new fashions. Hollywood movies, Korean pop singers, Japanese cartoons and game software are very popular among youngsters.

12. Changes in Family 1. Declining of Population Growth Rate and Shrinking of Family Size China’s population growth rate has been declining continuously. It was 15.04 ‰ in 1989 and declined to 4.79‰ in 2011. The average family size was 2.9 in urban areas and 4 in rural areas in 2008.

13. 2. Increasing of Divorce Rate 9.059million Couples got married and 1.693 million couples divorced in 2012. 3. Disposable Family Income Increased The disposable income per capita in urban areas was 1374 yuan in 1989 and 24565yuan in 2012, and the net income per capita was 602 yuan in rural areas in 1989 and 7917 yuan in 2012.

14. School Structure of China

15. Context for Higher Education Development in China 1. Huge size There are 2358 regular colleges and universities, 68.881 thousand general secondary schools, 13.872 thousand vocational secondary schools, and 257.41 thousand primary schools in 2010. There are 23.856 million college and university students, 77.032 million general secondary school students, 22.385 million vocational secondary school students, and 99.407 million primary school pupils in 2010. There are 1.343 million college instructors, 5.042 million general secondary school teachers, 309 thousand vocational secondary school teachers, and 5.617 million primary school teachers in 2010.

16. 2. Great Achievement The net enrollment rate of primary school reached 99.7% in 2010. The promotion rates of primary school graduates and lower secondary school graduate were respectively 98.7% and 87.5% in 2010. The gross enrollment rate of higher education was 24.2% in 2009.

17. 3. Severe Lack of Fund and Unbalanced Development The public expenditure on education has been 2.3% of GNP, and was 4% of GDP in 2012. The world best schools can be found in coastal areas, but there are collapsing classrooms and schools without basic equipments in frontier areas. The enrollment rates at higher education level vary greatly among different areas.

18. Current-fund Expenditure per college Student in Some Provinces and Autonomous Regions (2008) (in yuan)

19. 3. Long cultural traditions Schooling is a means of transmitting national culture, but meanwhile is restricted by the national culture. The unique mission of schools is to pass examinations. The main focus of instruction is to transmit systematically knowledge. The society and schools all believe that forced learning is necessary. Teachers are in the center of learning process.

20. Challenges and problems Uneven distribution of access throughout the nation Balance between quantity and quality Rising of enrollment and declining of the supporting ability of the government Employment of graduates

21. Building World-class Universities 211 Project—100 top universities for the 21st century 985 Project—special support for those institutions with the potential to be world- class universities Peking and Tsinghua Fudan, China University of Science and Technology, Harbin University of Technology, Nanjing, Shanghai Jiaotong, Xi’an Jiaotong, Zhejiang Beijing Normal, Nankai, Sichuan, Xiamen, etc. for total of 38

22. Examples of Special Government Grants (985 Project) • First three-year round of funding Peking and Tsinghua--$225M ($75M per year) • In 2003, Peking University annual operating budget was about $250M, so $75M more was an increase of 30%

23. Challenges and problems Accountability vs. autonomy Quantity vs. quality (elite or mass?) Comprehensiveness vs. special focus Efficiency vs. collegiality Within or beyond ivory tower

24. Commercialization of Higher Education Tuition has been charged since 1995. The funding sources have been diversified. Private higher education institutions have been developed very fast.

25. Current-fund Revenue of Institutions of Higher Education by sources(2010)

27. Challenges and problems The nature and missions of higher education institutions Subsidy system for poor students Collegiate environment Unbalanced development among different fields. Government role in the development of higher education

28. Reforms of higher education administration system Academic power versus administration power Faculty appointment system Contract system “Up or out” policy Faculty assessment and merit pay

29. Challenges and problems Selection and roles of presidents Erosion of department power Depression of faculty

30. Curriculum and instructional reforms Offering majors according to market demands Adoption of credit system Strengthening general education Offering more elective courses Putting students in the center of learning process

31. Challenges and problems University’s central mission: teaching or research? Students’ high demands versus faculty inertia Fast social changes versus college inertia Students’ long term needs versus their employment need

32. Internationalization of higher education China must produce more people who have an international understanding and appreciate cultural differences among nations. China has to face the challenges brought by the flowing of the educational resources across national borders. China has to adopt international standards and learn the international language. What is the role of the university in maintaining the national identity?

33. Data on learners studying abroad and returnees in 1998 and 2004

34. Table 1. Enrolment of International Students in China by Levels of Education (1998 – 2004)

35. Challenges and problems Internationalization or Americanization Internationalization vs. localization International perspectives vs. local solution global villager vs. national identity

36. Conclusion The Chinese society is changing dramatically, but higher education institutions can not match the changes or meet the demands of people. There is an urgent need for higher educational reform.