The Ministry of Education released “Opinions on Postgraduate Curriculum Improvement” in mid-January 2015, in order to improve the quality of postgraduate education. The guidance calls for a comprehensive system for postgraduate curriculum evaluation and a greater focus on developing students’ independent research skills and problem-solving ability. The guidance goes on to say that students who are unsuitable for postgraduate study might be forced to leave their course and that the new policy may cause the drop-out rate for postgraduate programmes to increase.

The Opinion echoes the speech delivered by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong during the State Council Academic Degrees Committee meeting in Beijing in late 2014. Seven key tasks were highlighted in the speech, including improving postgraduates' practical skills and level of innovation, and improving teaching quality through teacher training. Improving the internationalization of postgraduate education was also emphasised, with encouragement for several specific measures:

• Introducing high quality overseas teaching resources
• Promoting joint programs and joint research projects in partnership with high quality overseas partners, to improve Chinese postgraduate education quality and keep top Chinese undergraduates in China
• Top Chinese universities and top subjects are encouraged to get involved in major global and regional projects to be the leading universities of these projects
• Attracting more international students to study in China at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels
• Increasing communications and exchanges (including student and teacher exchanges, joint talent cultivation, joint academic development) under the five People to People Dialogues

Analysis by Liu Jing, Assistant Director Education Marketing

Top leaders have expressed strong concerns on postgraduate education in China, and improving its quality is now on the priority agenda for Chinese government. One of the major measures the Chinese government has highlighted to achieve this quality improvement is making more use of international resources. Meanwhile, China has been a postgraduate-dominated market for UK education for many years, and the education excellence of British postgraduate courses is well recognised in China by both students and partners including Chinese authorities and institutions. This provides good opportunities for UK institutions to get involved in the postgraduate education development agenda through TNE programs, joint research, global projects, outward mobility of British students to China, teacher training and other similar measures. Echoing the central government’s requirement, there will be specific projects and measures launched by different provinces to achieve the set objectives, and UK institutions could proactively check this topic with local authorities and institutions during market scoping visits to tap into relevant opportunities as early as possible.

Source: http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2015/0114/c1001-26383457.html http://www.jyb.cn/high/gdjyxw/201501/t20150105_609313.html

Please direct any enquiries to Liu Jing at liu.jing@britishcouncil.org.cn.