In today’s talking points: Increasing need for professionally trained carers in China; Business Council Chief proposes new student loan scheme; Promotion of Finnish education system in China and Hong Kong; Parents are key reason to early education boom in China
Increasing need for professionally trained carers in China
After the removal of the one child policy and the continual growth of a wealthy middle class in China, the demand for highly trained carers has also increased. As a result, a market has opened up for training centres aiming at filling this gap in demand. While short term training centres have popped up as a result of this, the first group of college educated domestic helpers graduated from the Shanghai Open University in June with courses also being offered at two colleges in Hefei and one in Ningbo.
Read more at: South China Morning Post
Business Council Chief proposes new student loan scheme
Business Council Chief, Jennifer Westacott believes that the current subsidiary system for students discriminates between vocational and university education. She proposed an overhaul of the current education funding system to the National Press Club in Canberra last week saying the current system is “distorted, creates the wrong incentives and is basically unfair”. She argues that students would naturally select the higher subsidized course regardless of whether it suits their interests or needs, or even Australia’s economy needs.
Read more at: The Guardian
Promotion of Finnish education system in China and Hong Kong
The Minister of Education of Finland, Ms. Sanni Grahn-Laasonen and a Finnish Business Delegation visited the People’s Republic of China; Beijing and Hong Kong SAR on 9- 12 October 2017. The underlying idea of her tour in Beijing and Hong Kong was to intensify governmental, academic and business links. A large official and business delegation, representing all aspects of Finnish know-how in the field of teaching and learning, accompanied the Minister. Ms. Grahn-Laasonen believes that as a world innovator in education, Finland can help China further develop its education system.
Read more at: ScandAsia
Parents are key reason to early education boom in China
China’s education market has developed rapidly, especially in large cities. Piano, painting, chess, skating and other lessons are springing up in major shopping districts. Expensive summer camps claiming to broaden children’s horizons are also popular. Spending on children’s education is rising each year. A survey on Shanghai early education (zero to 6 years) conducted by the Shanghai Association for Quality found that 60 per cent of children under six attended extra-curricular classes, with the proportion of children aged between four and six surpassing 70 per cent. As more of the 1980’s generation of Chinese adults have children, these higher educated parents will be more willing to send their children to extra-curricular activities, fuelling the boom in early education.
Read more at: The Straits Times