2016年CRI China Unveils First Report on Higher Education Quality

 

Research for the latest report began in 2012, as a joint¹ effort among China's Ministry² of Education and a number of leading Chinese universities.

Experts from well-known schools, including Tsinghua University and Peking University, have assessed the basic conditions and management of China's higher education institutions.

Wu Yan with the Ministry of Education says the schools were allowed to do their own evaluations⁴.

"For well-established universities, we used audit-like assessments⁵ and appraisals⁶ to see their development, traditions and special features. In other words, we helped them to measure themselves against their own standards."

Main criteria⁷ considered by the report include the accomplishment⁸ of training objectives, educational resources, and the satisfaction levels of both the students and employers.

The final product incorporated "Big Data" research methods, referencing findings by more than 4,000 education experts and education quality reports from more than 700 higher education institutions, among other national data.

The report notes China currently has the most student seats in the world, at 37 million.

Those seats are scattered⁹ among 28-hundred-24 institutes of higher learning, which is the 2nd largest number in the world.

This means an average of 2 out of every 5 students who graduate high school every year in China will go on to post-secondary education.

Chinese authorities hope to increase that number to one in every two high school grads by 2019.

But one main issue of concern is the quality of education being provided.

Wu Yan with the Ministry of Education says the new report highlights certain areas to help educators better serve their students.

"We want to solve problems concerning teachers' skill levels, as well as textbooks, talent cultivation¹⁰ and teaching content, or what we call the last mile of education, to benefit the students and provide high-quality graduates for employers."

Right now more than one-third of China's undergrad and graduate level students major in engineering, and about 90% of the nation's schools of higher learning offer engineering courses.

Wu Yan with the Education Ministry says engineering is one key area Chinese authorities want to continue to focus on.

"We classified engineering as a special section in our report because of its importance to China's higher education quality, industrial and manufacturing development, as well as its key role in the 'Made in China 2025' plans."

China's central authorities released the "Made in China 2025" plan last year, which is designed to increase the country's manufacturing abilities, so factories can transition to turning out high-end products.

The report also highlights certain areas that urgently call for improvement, including a low success rate of converting research projects into professional applications.

The report also included surveys of employers who have hired recent graduates.

Those surveys have found many employers are generally unsatisfied with their new hires' practical skills and professional ethics¹¹.

Wu Yan says Chinese education authorities are working to fix that.

"In the future we will work closely with industrial and trade sectors¹² to create training plans and procedures, as well as an evaluation³ process to review the results."

The Ministry of Education already has a platform which allows both graduates and employers to submit their evaluations of colleges and universities.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

4 evaluations   

估价( evaluation的名词复数 )； 赋值； 估计价值； [医学]诊断

参考例句：

• In fact, our moral evaluations are merely expressions of our desires. 事实上，我们的道德评价只是我们欲望的表达形式。 来自哲学部分
• Properly speaking, however, these evaluations and insights are not within the concept of official notice. 但准确地讲，这些评估和深远见识并未包括在官方通知概念里。

5 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

6 appraisals   

估计，估量，评价( appraisal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He had read many detailed critical appraisals of her work. 他读了许多详细评论她的作品的文章。
• The English themselves are somewhat insular in their literary appraisals. 英国人评价自己的文学，也不免有偏狭处。

7 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

8 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

9 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

10 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

11 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

12 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》