Putting into Effect the Higher Education Law, Developing Higher Education Actively and Steadily , and Speeding up Reforms to Enhance the Quality and Cost-effectiveness of Educational Provision

30. Effective measures should be taken to implement the following provisions of the Higher Education Law of the People's Republic of Chin: " Higher education institutions should be oriented towards societal needs , operate autonomously according to law, and practice democratic management" so as to enlarge the institutional autonomy of HEIs. In the light of local demands and available financial resources and teaching staff, and with the adoption of new mechanisms and new patterns of educational provision as prerequisite conditions, it is envisaged that the total enrollment of students in HEIs will be increased to 6,600 ,000 by the year 2000 to enable more upper secondary school graduates to have access to higher education. The increased enrollment will mainly aide local development of tertiary vocational education. In the meantime the enrollment of postgraduate students in HEIs should be considerably augmented. The participation rates of the relevant age cohort in higher education will be raised from 9.1% in l997 (calculated according to new specifications£© to 11£¥in 2000£® The student-faculty ratio in regular HEIs will be raised from 10£º1 in l997 to 12£º1 in 2000£® The average size in terms of total enrollment of an independent regular HEI should reach approximately 4,000.

31. We should speed up the pace of the structural reforms of higher education and carry out in-depth reforms of higher education. With regard to structural reforms we will continue to practice the guidelines following£º"joint operation of institutions, readjustment of educational institutions and programs, collaboration between HEIs and research institutes and enterprises, and merging of institutions." In the next 3 to 5 years, a new system of two-tier management by central ministries and local governments with proper division of responsibilities will gradually take shape to ensure proper division of responsibilities between central ministries and the provincial governments, with the latter exercising the main responsibility of coordination£»organic integration of the interests of the sectoral £¨line£© ministries and the provinces concerned under the guidance of the state's macro-level policies. Under this new system only a few HIEs which either have an important bearing on the overall development of the nation or mainly serve the needs of specific sectoral departments will remain under the control of the central ministries or agencies concerned, while all the other HEIs will either be directly managed by the provincial governments or be jointly managed by the provincial and central authorities with the former assuming the main responsibility. The national treasury will continue to appropriate funds to encourage and promote the reform of the management system, readjust and optimize the location of HEIs. The establishment of non-state£¯private HEIs will be encouraged and supported.

32. Actively developing tertiary vocational education constitutes a pressing demand of national economic development for it can improve people's scientific and cultural quality and postpone their need for employment£® With regard to tertiary vocational education offering formal academic qualifications, its provision can be met by the following ways£º the existing short-cycle £¨2.3-year £© HEIs, vocational universities, and independent adult HEIs, all subject to necessary reforms, are to be supplemented by a part of the better specialized secondary schools transformed into tertiary vocational institutions. Besides, a part of regular HEIs offering first degree programs may set up their own tertiary vocational colleges. Thus the establishment of new institutions can be practically avoided£® The 30 existing regular HEIs will be selected to develop demonstrative vocational and technical colleges, which will provide tertiary vocational education that awads vocational certificates and diplomas rather than more academic qualifications. We should gradually develop ways to facilitate communication between vocational-technical education and regular higher education, so that graduates from vocational-technical colleges may continue their studies in regular HEIs after passing qualifying examinations.

Tertiary vocational education must be geared to the needs of local economic construction and social development, fit in with the practical demands of the labor market, and to provide graduates with practical skills required by first-line personnel engaged in production, service and management in an endeavor to provide training programs with unique features. It should actively strive to adapt to the needs of rural and agricultural development by training skilled manpower needed in rural modernization. Based on experiences obtained through pilot schemes, the responsibility and authority for planning enrollment, administering entrance examinations , and issuance of diplomas and certificates will be gradually delegated to provincial governments and institutions. Under the macro-level guidance of the state, provincial governments should exercise effective coordination of educational resources. Steps should be taken to speed up the development of tertiary vocational education and explore a variety of ways of recruiting new entrants. For instance, a proportion £¨about 3£¥ at present£© of graduates from secondary vocational schools may profitably enter tertiary vocational institutions. Except for those admitted to regular HEIs, most graduates from general upper secondary schools should be encouraged to receive training provided by tertiary vocational education programs delivered by various modes to upgrade their qualifications.

33. We should further strengthen the systematic reforms related to the enrollment of new entrants and the job placement of graduates. The reform of college entrance examinations should be carried on in accordance with plan. The reform should be conducive to the implementation of EQO education in schools , help to ensure equity in selecting qualified applicants by HEIs, and contribute to the augmentation of institutional autonomy of HEIs and conduce to social stability as well£® With these guiding principles in mind we will launch pilot reform schemes in relation to the mix of subjects examined, as well as to the content, methods and system of examination, to lay greater emphasis on testing applicants' competence and overall quality, and explore proper methods and systems of enrollment, examination and assessment that fit in with local conditions, including the characteristics of schools. Pilot projects of tertiary vocational education guided by the following principles will be conducted: "Institutions enjoy a high degree of autonomy in making decisions on course offerings which should respond to labor market development or needs, while students are required to find their own jobs upon graduation." It is envisaged that by the year 2000, a comparatively well-conceived system of the employment of graduates should have taken shape with the following features£º graduates and their potential employers will contact each other in the skilled personnel labor market and exercise "two-way" selections of their own accord, while the HEIs concerned and relevant governmental bodies will provide information on individual graduates as well as letters of recommendation to potential employers.

Various forms of financial aids will be employed tc ensure that students from poor families already enrolled in HEIs or newly admitted may not drop out just because of their economical difficulties. The state will continue to allocate funds to aid students with special economical difficulties. Local government finance and institutions should provide matching funds for this purpose. In the meantime we will launch pilot projects of financial aid to college students , including loans programs in an endeavor to find effective ways of providing financial aid to needy students under conditions of the socialist market economy.

34. We will vigorously push forward reforms of instructional practice in HEIs, including reforms in educational thought and concepts , content and methods. We will give great impetus to reforming the mode of training provided by short-cycle HEIs, with special emphasis laid on restructuring the curriculum, strengthening bases for practical training, and developing dual-role teachers, being able to work as teachers of theory and instructors of practical skills. With regard to first degree level undergraduate education, efforts should be made to broaden the profile of specialties to enable students to become more adaptable to changing conditions. In the next 3 to 5 years, the current list of over 200 specialties will be condensed to a list of 100-odd specialties , each with a broader profile. We will continue to push forward the " Scheme for Reforming Instructional Content and Curricular Systems to Meet the Challenges of the 21st Century." In the meantime efforts will be made to develop 200 bases for training qualified personnel versed in the fundamentals of the humanities, social and natural sciences, 100 bases for the bask courses taught in a number of major fields of study , and 20 bases for fostering the cultural quality of college students-and these bases should be run at domestic advanced level and play an exemplary role to other institutions£® Steps should be taken to actively and steadily develop postgraduate programs for professional degree work and further improve the system of professional degrees in an effort to train a large number of high-level practically-oriented professionals.

35. We will energetically push forward reforms of the management system within HEIs. With regard to the recruitment of staff a system of engagement based on a letter of appointment or contract will be gradually implemented so as to reduce redundancy and enhance the efficiency of staff and workers and bring about a significant improvement of the student£¯faculty ratio, student£¯non-teaching-staff-and-workers ratio, and the full-time teachers£¯non-teaching-staff-and-workers ratio. Steps will be taken to speed up the socialization of logistic services in HEIs, and downsize the work force and divert the surplus members to other occupations. The enlargement of enrollment in HEIs should be linked with the progress made in the socialization of logistics, It is envisaged that some cities with fairly favorable conditions will be selected to set up for HEIs a number of company groups to operate as genuine enterpris, which will undertake the business of managing students' apartments and render other logistic services for HEIs. Efforts will be made to realize the socialization of logistics for higher education in most areas within the next 3 to 5 years. ¢ù. Energetically Developing Vocational and Adult Education to Train a Large Number of Qualified Workers and Skilled personnel with Elementary and Intermediate Qualifications, with Special Emphasis on Rendering Services to Rural and Agricultural Development.

36. In accordance with the provisions of the Education Law and the Vocational Education Law, should strive to establish an education system fitting in with our national conditions to link up pre-service £¨initial£© and in-service £¨post-experience£© training, so that vocational training at the rudimentary, secondary and tertiary levels are dovetailed with each other and effect proper linkages with regular schooling and adult education in a harmonious way. A special fund for promoting and implementing the plan of curricular reforms and teaching material development in vocational education will be instituted. Relying on the support of regular HEIs and tertiary vocational institutions, high priority will be given to the development of 50 bases for training vocational teachers and instructors of practical skills. Local governments should also strengthen the construction of vocational teachers' training bases.

We will continue to divert a significant part of lower secondary school graduates to vocational programs, and accordingly, we will energetically develop secondary vocational education in the light of local conditions. The current ratio between vocational and general education enrollment at the upper secondary level should be kept while striving to attain the goals set by the Guidelines for the Reform and Development of Education in China. In the small number of disadvantaged areas where nine-year compulsory education is yet to be universalized, vocational and technical training should be provided for primary school graduates who cannot continue their education in secondary schools£® In areas where the structure of upper secondary education is basically rational, vocational education should focus its efforts on improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of educational programs. Comprehensive upper secondary schools may be developed in economically developed areas to postpone streaming until the final year £¨Grade 12£©£® Scientific forecasting of manpower needs should be conducted through studying societal demands on secondary vocational training. Vocational education and training of various forms and lengths should be provided to newly employed people in observance of the principle "pre-service training before taking up a job." The structure of curriculum and the provision of education programs £¨specialties£©should be reformed£®A more flexible system of course offerings including electives should be adopted to enable students to become more adaptable to changes in the industrial structure and the labor market. In various localities efforts should be made to run well a selected number of vocational institutions enjoying high credibility in society.

37. Adult education should focus on job-related training and continuing education. Through the institution of the modern enterprise system and the system of vocational qualification certificates more flexible and diverse forms of education and training should be provided , so that people who have been laid off or are to be transferred to other jobs may receive vocational training or regular schooling of various levels and durations to facilitate their reemployment£® Efforts should be made to set up norms and standards for such training, that is, to institutionalize such training. We should actively conduct in-service training for personnel engaged in business administration and financial management of enterprises. We should promote cooperation between enterprises, educational institutions, and sectoral governmental agencies. Pilot projects on community education will be conducted so as to gradually develop a lifelong learning system in an endeavor to enhance the quality of the whole nation.

We should strengthen the continuing education of professional and technical personnel in the light of the trends of development of various fields of study, professions and industrial sectors. We should strive to initiate a system of integrating the functions of education, assessment and utilization of staff, and we will institute a special fund to promote the development of continuing education bases and networks. Besides, the training of civil servants needs be strengthened by developing a sound mechanism for such training so as to develop a contingent of highly qualified and professional administrators of state affairs.

38. We should intensify our efforts in reforming the system of educational provision, the system of management and the mechanism of operation in the fields of vocational and adult education, as well as in reforming the system of enrollment and the system of job placement of graduates. Responding to the institution and development of a socialist market economy, NGOs and individual citizens are encouraged to run institutions of vocational and adult education of diverse forms under the general guidance of the government£®In the further development of vocational and adult education it is desirable to promote collaboration between schools and industry, to adjust the geographical distribution of schools, to optimize the allocation of resources, to strengthen education in entrepreneur ship and in professional ethics, to adopt a more flexible mode of educational delivery , and to strive to develop unique institutional features so as to better serve the needs of local economic and social development.

We should conscientiously act in the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the Fifteenth Central Committee of CPC, conduct in-depth rural educational reforms characterized by close colk6oration between departments of agriculture , science and technology and education and by taking an integrated approach to the development of various types of education so as to promote the harmonious and coordinated development of general education, adult education and vocational education in rural areas and to give full scope to the positive role of rural education in rural modernization. The elimination of illiteracy should be combined with the training of practical skills in rural areas in an effort to consolidate the gains of literacy education and to help people get rid of poverty. Steps should be taken in the next 3 to 5 years to enable people who have completed wholly or part of compulsory schooling in most rural areas to have access to certain forms of technical training , including training for the "Green Certificate", before or after they start their careers. Such training hasbeen conceived tO enable the trainees to master one or two practical skills for getting prosperous through production and adapt to the needs of rural economic development£® It is especially desirable to use diverse modes of education and training to prepare an adequate number of appropriately trained technical and managerial personnel for upgrading township enterprises and rural industries.