Education sector partially open to foreigners

10/15/2002
China Daily: Shen Bin

Foreign investors, together with Chinese partners, can be involved in most education services in China through joint-venture schools and co-operative programmes in distant education and training.

But they are unlikely to win approval to launch wholly-owned schools or other education institutions, said Chen Zhili, minister of education.

This decision does not violate China's commitments to the World Trade Organization (WTO), she said.

China promised to open its primary, secondary, higher, and adult education to foreign educational organizations through such co-operation, and foreign investors can even hold controlling stakes in these services, according to China's commitment to the WTO.

However, compulsory and political education, and special education involving the military and police are not open to foreign investors.

China can make its own policy on opening distant education and correspondence courses, because the two services are not included in the country's commitment to the WTO.

China will not set any obstacles on Chinese students' studying abroad or receiving training outside China, and schools and educational institutions can also invite or hire foreign teachers provided they have bachelor or higher degrees and at least two years of teaching experience.

The education minister named five challenges facing China's education sector after the country joined the WTO:

China must foster a large number of economic and scientific professionals who can adapt to international competition.

China's education sector should be strengthened as soon as possible to compete with foreign counterparts as the government can no longer erect any barriers to block such competition.

China should reform its education sector to serve the country's economic reforms and opening-up policy.

China should further develop traditional culture, which faces challenges from Western values and cultures.

China suffers an imbalance of educational levels across the country, especially between the relatively-developed eastern areas and the underdeveloped western regions.