Thematic Review of Tertiary Education - Country Note for China
In tertiary education, China has made truly remarkable progress since the early 1990s. The tertiary education participation rate has risen from less than 10% to over 22%, and student enrolments have expanded from 5 to 25 million. Annual graduate output reached 5 million by 2004, including 2.4 million from Bachelor Degree and Diploma programmes at regular tertiary education institutions, 1.9 million from adult and 0.4 million from web-based undergraduate degree and diploma programmes, and 0.2 million from postgraduate programmes. Additionally, some 20 000 graduates are now returning annually to China from studies abroad.
With 1.3 million researchers, China now ranks second worldwide behind the United States and is also the world’s second highest investor in R&D after the United States. Major investments have been made in modernising teaching and research infrastructure.
Far-reaching reforms have been made to improve productivity in tertiary education and research. Academic personnel are recruited through open advertisement and on a merit basis. A strong system of performance management is being implemented. Steps are being taken to improve teaching practices and quality assurance.
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