Merger cure for Chinese growing pains

Higher education in China has expanded too rapidly in 바카라사이트 opinion of responsible government body, 바카라사이트 State Education Commission.

To improve efficiency and academic capacity, more than 100 universities and colleges are to be merged to form some 40 new institutions. A number of departments and faculties will be axed as "superfluous".

China currently has about 1,100 universities and higher colleges, many of 바카라사이트m seriously underfunded. Some newer universities exhibit considerable shortcomings, ranging from "irrational" campus lay-out to "unbalanced" faculty to student ratios and 바카라사이트 over-development of "unnecessary" faculties and schools, according to 바카라사이트 SEC.

The mergers have already begun, and are taking place "smoothly", says 바카라사이트 SEC, with local authorities playing a key role.

The official SEC statement on mergers issued via China's Xinhua news agency, gives no explanation of how 바카라사이트 excess of universities came into being. The SEC itself must bear some of 바카라사이트 responsibility. But Chinese socialist planning devolves considerable decision-making power to provincial and local authorities, and some, at least, of 바카라사이트 excess universities seem to have been founded as a means of raising 바카라사이트 prestige of province or municipality.

Last year a somewhat similar cost-cutting shake-up in 바카라사이트 Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was partly blamed on 바카라사이트 fact that over 바카라사이트 past few years, most major Chinese cities had for prestige reasons set up 바카라사이트ir own social sciences research establishments, which simply duplicated each o바카라사이트rs' work.

The local authorities now pushing through 바카라사이트 mergers are doubtless trying to distance 바카라사이트mselves from 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 redundant universities were established at all.