More than 90% of Taiwanese college presidents believe that students from the mainland should be allowed to study in Taiwan. This came from a survey of 110 college and university presidents.

The survey, conducted by the Moodle Education Association, showed that more than 75% of respondents think the government should recognize college diplomas awarded by mainland establishments.

Probably everyone agrees that it should be done step by step rather than in one major burst.

Yang Tun-he, president of St. John’s University, said, ‘The problem in Taiwan is we have too many schools with not enough students, while the mainland has a shortage of schools . . . Allowing Chinese students to study in Taiwan would serve the interests of both sides.’

He said it would be a wonderful opportunity for students from the mainland to get to know Taiwan better.

He said, ‘The US attracts students from all over the world. Even if the students don’t all stay in the US to work, they are the best ambassadors because they tell people all about the US when they go back to their own countries.It would be Taiwan’s loss by not following the trend.’

Wang Chun-chuan, the deputy director-general of the Department of Higher Education, said that the ministry proposed allowing mainland students a few years ago but the idea was rejected.
Source: Taipei Times

The Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (GUCAS) has celebrated its 30th founding anniversary. In that time it has trained nearly 70,000 advanced science and technology students.

Bai Chunli, president of the GUCAS, said that during the past 30 years GUCAS took the national lead in restoring a graduate recruitment system, trained China’s first doctor of Science and first doctor of Engineering and trained China’s first female doctor.

The GUCAS also is able to boast the largest number of graduate students. Currently, there are 34,200 graduate students studying at GUCAS and about 50% are pursuing doctoral degrees.

Lu Yongxiang, vice-chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and president of Chinese Academy of Sciences, (seen in our illustration) praised the achievements and contributions made by the GUCAS during the past 30 years.

He also requested that GUCAS adhered to the ‘people first’ education principle, to pursue reform and innovation in education, to build an environment and a system that is conducive to training talents. Thus it can foster more outstanding science and technology professionals with innovative spirits who can make bigger contributions in building an innovative country and in the nation’s renaissance. Stirring stuff.
Source: China View

According to the Ministry of Education China had 14,832 secondary vocational and technical institutions by 2007, which enrolled more than 8.1 million new students last year, an increase of 622,000 over the year before.

According to a report released by the Ministry by the end of 2007, 19.9 million students were studying in the vocational institutions, an increase of about 1.8 million over the previous year.

In China, students can choose to pursue further study in high school and then go to college after nine years compulsory education (including six years in primary school and three years in middle school), or they can go to vocational schools to learn applicable and useful techniques, which are important for them to hunt jobs such as technicians.

The report also says that 99.46% of the school age boys go to primary schools while the figure is 99.52% for girls.

More than 27 million students went to higher institutions last year, with a gross rate of higher education admission hitting 23%, said the report, adding that the postgraduate enrollment saw an increase of 5.2% over the previous year.

The country has 22,322 private training institutions, which offers on-the-job or part time training for more than 8.8 million people.
Source: English People’s Daily Online

Educational Testing Service (ETS) reported that the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores for Chinese test takers increased to match the worldwide average in 2007. Which means that Chinese students are making ’strong progress’ in mastering communicative English skills.

It is sometimes not clearly understood how difficult it is for an Asian student to learn English, certainly well enough to pass the test.
English, as a grammatical language is intensely difficult. Its grammar is complex; its dictionary vastly more extensive and the regional differences massive.

Let us take an example that arose yesterday. This computer needs to be connected with two other computers using a wireless router. Using all the laws of English that is pronounced as it is spelled — router. But not in England. There it is pronounced ‘rooter’ and no, there is no rational explanation available.

It is into this quagmire of a language the students for TOEFL are submerged and that so many survive says much for the assorted TOEFL teaching methods.

The mean score for Chinese test takers was 78 in the year, a two-point increase over 2006, matching the worldwide average of 78.

The official statement said, ‘The results show that the (Chinese) students are making strong progress in mastering the communicative English skills necessary to succeed at the world’s leading universities.’

Paul Ramsey, Senior Vice President of ETS Global, said, ‘These results show that the hard work of intensive study of English and practice by Chinese test takers has had positive results.
‘Chinese students will be able to show that in addition to their very strong academic abilities, they are able to use English for communication at the university level.’

Whether one approves of it or not English is now the language of commerce around the world and mult-lingual companies often chose it as the official language of communiation.

The TOEFL test is the most widely accepted English-language test in the world.

More than 6,000 institutions in 110 countries accept TOEFL scores, including the world’s top universities and institutions in the UK., Europe and all 4,300 colleges and universities in the United States, according to ETS.

In truth, there has always been a slight smell of commercial hustle about TOEFL and its recruiting of teachers sometimes seems a little suss and the scores accepted by many universities very low. But it has become the standard test and seems each year to be further cementing that position.
Source: China View

The 2008 Beijing International Education expo which is currently running, is in its fifth year and is one of the largest platforms of its kind in Asia.

Besides providing information about international student exchanges, the expo also focuses on the capital’s own educational resources.

The expo showcases latest developments in the capital’s education system although the expo is more international than ever before. About 200 colleges and universities from 18 countries have joined.

For the first time, students are able to go through the simulated process of studying abroad at the simulation gallery.

Beijing is not only the center of education in China but it has been attracting more overseas students for study in Beijing.

Another new element focuses on providing better education for the children of foreigners living in Beijing. The fifth Beijing International Education Expo runs to Saturday at the Beijing International Exhibition Center.
Source: China View

First,what does TOEFL stand for? Test of English as a Foreign Language.

This is probably the most widely used test of its kind in the world although I have never taken it despite English being a foreign language to me. They apparently don’s use TOEFL in Wales. At least, not the part I came from.

The US Educational Testing Service (ETS) has announced that the seats of internet-based TOEFL tests in China will expand from 1,950 in June to over 3,550 by the end of 2007, an increase of 80% in only six months.

ETS states the expansion is a result of proactive network construction and optimization efforts made by ETS and China’s National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) jointly to meet increased demand for TOEFL tests in China.

Paul A. Ramsey, Senior Vice President of ETS’s Global Division said, ‘ETS is committed to ensuring that everyone in China who wishes to take the test has an opportunity to do so.’

The current 73 internet-based TOEFL test sites are located in 28 cities throughout China, including 19 sites in Beijing, eight in Shanghai, five in Nanjing, four in Hangzhou, and four in Tianjin.

TOEFL scores are accepted by more than 6,000 colleges and universities in over 110 countries, and the number of TOEFL test takers in China has been growing steadily in recent years.
Source: China.org.cn

A senior Chinese official on Sunday called for innovation in ideological education to make it more ‘attractive and accessible’ for the country’s college students.

Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and seen in our illustration, made the remarks at a seminar during his visit to the Northeastern University in Shenyang, capital city of northeast China’s Liaoning Province.

He said efforts should be made to innovate the teaching method of ideological and political education in the higher-learning institutions and strengthen the training of teachers to make it a subject favored by the students.

He called for joint efforts by all circles to accomplish the task.
Source: China View

Shanghai Jiao Tong University has set up the city’s first undergraduate overseas study foundation to give needy undergraduate students the opportunity to study abroad.

The fund aims to aid 150 to 180 students each year with between RMB8,000 ($1,143) and RMB15,000 to cover part of their short-term study costs at foreign universities.

Only needy students with families living below the poverty line and a performance rank in the top 20% of their class are eligible.

Since 2005, Jiao Tong has had an overseas study scheme that encourages and provides opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in degree programs, short-term exchange programs or summer school or internships at foreign partner universities.

Jiao Tong officials said that about 14% of the university’s nearly 20,000 undergraduates have obtained such overseas experience at about 50 universities to date.

Jiao Tong officials said that they would continue seeking donations to expand the fund.
Source: China View

China sees more doctoral degree holders being created annually than the United States.The Ministry of Education has decided this is too much and something has to be done to curb rapid expansion of doctoral programs at universities,

According to the Shanghai-based Evening News, Yang Yuliang, who heads the office of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee, said China produced about 50,000 doctors in 2006. This is a similar figure to that of the United States.

According to the statistics the national expenditure on research and development was roughly one ninth of the U.S. federal R&D spending in the same year.

Taking the base of 50,000 in 2006 and the average annual growth rate of PhD candidates’ admission of 26.7% from 1999 to 2003, probably more than 60,000 people obtained their highest academic degrees from Chinese universities, which made the country the biggest producer of PhDs in the world.

Unlike the U.S. where most doctoral degree holders go to higher learning and research institutions in China more than half of graduating doctors go into government.

With irrefutable logic Yang Yuliang said that due to the fact that tuitions and living expenses of doctoral candidates are mostly covered by the tax money it is a waste to produce so many doctors for non-academic organizations.

Yang said the ministry is going to keep the doctoral program admission growth rate under 2% each year while setting aside more resources for professional graduate training, such as masters of business administration, law and education.
Source: China View

Chinese President Hu Jintao, seen in our illustration, urged college students to turn their patriotic passion into concrete actions of studying hard and contributing to the upcoming Olympic Games during a visit to Peking University.

Hu called upon the 110-year-old elite institution of higher learning on the eve of its anniversary, extending congratulations and greetings to the students, faculty and alumni.

The President joined in students at the university library, shaking hands and chatting with them.

‘College life is the golden time in a person’s life. You should make the most of the time to study hard, think hard and practise hard,’ he said. ‘You should also actively engage in social activities so as to not only learn the knowledge but also improve your ability to serve the country.’

His remarks found a resonance in many students. ‘I know that patriotism is not just in words but also in action. What we should do now to love our country is to study hard,’ said Yang Zhehao, a postgraduate student from the university’s College of Marxism.
Source: China View