Chinese-language education praised by U.S officials as furthering bilateral ties
U.S officials in attendance to the National Chinese-Language Conference held in Chicago, have applauded the role of Chinese language education in heightening U.S China cultural exchanges and ‘overall ties’. U.S senator Mark Kirk further underlined Chinese education’s role in advancing Sino-U.S ties, stating that education is important in ‘encouraging strong ties among our young generations’ and that it is fundamental in ensuring the relationship ‘grows and flourishes’. The three-day conference was attended by more than 1,300 education specialists, who participated in detailed discussions examining questions such as how to more seamlessly facilitate exchanges between the two cultures. Click here for the full article.
Business schools in China rushing to grab students
Some Chinese universities offering Executive Master of Business Administration programs are hastily attempting to gather new students before a change in regulation comes into effect forbidding autonomous recruitment. The new regulation specifies that, beginning in 2017 all EMBA program candidates will have to take a national entrance exam, replacing the current regulation which stipulates that EMBA candidates take a local test at their desired university. The regulations are part of an effort to make EMBA recruitment and teaching more transparent and standardized, as well as to break the current stigma around such programs, which are labelled “a club for the rich”. According to Chu Zhaohui, senior researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences, the changes in regulation will help to improve the quality of the programs by forcing students to meet certain thresholds in order to qualify for the desired degree. Click here for the full article.
New elite universities to be established in 14 Chinese provinces
The Chinese Ministry of Education has unveiled plans to establish new elite universities in 14 provinces, in a bid to reduce the nationwide education gap. These universities will be located in China’s western and central provinces, and will provide a new level of access to education in these areas. As current figures indicate that “less than 10 percent of rural students” are undertaking study at elite universities, this plans comes as part of a recent government promise to provide more opportunities for students from less developed parts of China to enroll at Ministry-established institutions. It follows recent initiatives undertaken at first-class universities to encourage greater rural and ethnic minority enrolment such as fee waivers, and the government aims to see the gap between western provinces and developed eastern provinces begin to close by 2020. Click here for the full article.
Chinese Academy of Sciences ranked first among world’s science institutions
The British Nature Publishing Group has announced that the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) ranks first among world science institutions in the Nature Index this year. This is the fourth consecutive year that CAS has received this ranking. The Nature Index assesses research articles published in 68 elite natural science journals and determines which academic institutions authors are affiliated with as a basis for its data. This provides an indication of the volume of each institution’s high-quality publications and wider contribution to research in the field of natural science. Other institutions that ranked in the top ten include Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge University and Oxford University. This ranking comes as Chinese science institutions nationwide continue to increase their research output annually. Click here for the full article.