Download Analyses on Enlarged Enrollment in Higher Education from Rational Angle

Analyses on Enlarged Enrollment in Higher Education
from Rational Angle
Xie Lan, Sun Xiaoli
South-Central University for Nationalities, P.R.China, 430074
：
Abstract This article analyzes the enlarged enrollment in higher education from rational angle. By
pondering over the higher education system’s development, we have to see the legitimacy and also
problems coming from it, and how we can develop higher education from elite education to mass
education and to achieve the goal of Higher Education Popularization.
Key words: Enlarged Enrollment in Higher Education Higher Education Development
1. Introduction
After south-east Asian financial crises, China’s economy has been trapped in a short time difficult
situation in 1998 since China’s economy development relies on the export. In order to secure that year’s
economic development, stimulate domestic demand, and improve population quality, Chinese
government take the adopt Mr.Tang Ming’s advice. The main essence of his advice is to have higher
education reform and enlarged enrollment in higher education. Meanwhile, Mr. Tang Ming suggests
increasing the tuition and combining the recruitment methods of in the plan and out of plan. Under this
influence, universities have kept increasing the student enrollment from 510 thousand in 1999 and
continuing for the following years. The universities have increased from 1071 in 1999 to 1731 in 2004.
The university faculty has double. This successive enlarged recruitment has increased the scale of
national higher education, which creates an education miracle in the world. Higher education
popularization development and enlarged student recruitment have injected new energy into the
education, which have profound significance on strengthening comprehensive national power and
improving national quality. At the same time, it has positive influence for the future social political and
economic development. However, there are a series of serious problems that can not be avoided while
the pace of education popularization is too fast. The reason is the weak higher education base. Therefore,
it has significant academic and practical meaning to scan the enlarged enrollment in higher education
thoroughly.
2. From the understanding of science, enlarged enrollment in higher education is
accorded with our country’s economic development tendency.
2.1. Enlarged enrollment in higher education is the need for Opening and Reform and socialist
modernization construction.
Under the Opening and Reform and socialist modernization construction days, social productivity,
national strength, and people’s living standard have been improved. The great achievement in material
civilization has provided solid foundation for mental civilization construction and also is asking for a
higher mental civilization standard.
2.2 The establishment of market economy with socialistic characteristic has provided factual
basis for the enlarged enrollment in higher education.
Under the socialistic market economy, university is an economic entity, which provides education
service for the society. Though university can not be mercenary like enterprise, it has to care about its
economic interest while it has to watch out for number one especially in such an developing country.
2.3. The globalization tendency is the external condition for the enlarged enrollment in higher
education.
In the new century, competition between nations is the competition for comprehensive national
strength. In fact it is the human resource competition. So, each country has strengthened national
education cause in order to have a position in the international politics, economy, and diplomatic
aspects.
793
2.4. Enlarged enrollment in higher education is accorded with higher education’s development
rule.
Higher education is restricted by its subjective condition. Once the condition is satisfied, its
development speed can and must speed up. Otherwise, the more haste, the less speed. It will face an
extreme big risk. Higher education’s unbalanced development is penetrating in the transfer process from
elite education to mass education. We can promote effective and real higher education’s development
only when we abide by the rule of higher education development and use person’s subjective initiative.
3. Higher education’s speedy development brings a lot of problems and
shortcomings. The major ones are as followed.
3.1. excessive education, payment for mental labor being less than for physical labor.
Because of blind enlarged enrollment in higher education, higher education has expanded excessively.
Under certain economic level, it causes an excessive education situation, which means the surplus of
human resource. This instance leads the graduates can not find a corresponding job according to their
education level, which call the waste of talents. Take an example of Shen Zhen. In 2004, a skillful
locksmith’s salary is higher than a post-graduate. Those students who can not find a job always feel
unbalanced in the mind, because normally they have higher expectation. They become one of the
unstable elements in the society.
3.2. Lower grade for university’s entrance cause student’s level and teaching quality to drop
down.
Enlarged enrollment in higher education results the drop of entrance grade, which has influenced
universities quite a lot. Though our country’s education foundation level has improved to certain level,
higher education’s development pace is too rapid. The level of freshmen has decreased as a whole. Due
to students’ bad study attitude, students do not have the motivation for study. These inner factors restrict
teaching quality. Without qualified teaching quality, pursuing students’ quantity is harmful. It will waste
huge money, human resource, and a new generation’s energy.
3.3. The speed for enlarged enrollment in higher education does not fit our country’s economic
development level.
The academic research shows that a country’s higher education’s development speed and scale is
under the restriction of economic development level. Without question, the gross rate of enrollment’s
increase needs a certain economic development foundation. Contemporary, China’s GDP is $1000,
which remain in a low-income country level. Too speedy higher education might bring some serious
social problem. Higher education has to secure the quality while increasing the quantity. As we know,
the most famous universities in the world are not because of the scale. Cai Yuan Pei, the founder of
China’s higher education, has mentioned a famous saying: What makes a university is not the big
building, but famous masters. However, the current situation in big universities is reversed.
3.4. The scale and structure for running higher education have come apart with the need of society
for talents, which bring about temporally knowledge unemployment.
The university graduates face severe employment situation. The possibility for finding a good job and
the salary is reducing for graduates. The reason is coming from vicious cycle: enlarged students’ level
go against teaching quality, which leads the fall of graduates’ quality. Therefore, society refuse to accept
these graduates when qualification and technology acquired from this education system can not meet
society’s demand.
4. Countermeasures for solving this problem
4.1. Control universities’ enlarged enrollment impulsion.
First, we have to re-examine our higher education attitude. Higher education should bear the
responsibility of training high quality and comprehensive developed talents. It must follow its own
development laws and accord with national economic development level. Higher education must reflect
the society’s demand for talents. Meanwhile, it has to consider family’s financial assistance and school
resource’s limitation. Developing too fast is more than spoiling things by excessive enthusiasm. As for
794
the issues of stimulating the domestic demand and employment problem, it is out of higher education’s
ability. The task of training technical talents and skillful technician should give back to occupational
education. Therefore, all levels of governments and universities should reconsider the problem on how
to control universities’ enlarged enrollment impulsion and higher education’s future development.
4.2. To train, and establish high quality faculty team; To strict teaching management, and
complete systems. To strengthen faculty team construction; To reform the current university’s
human resource management system.
In assessing the faculty title qualification aspect, we have to emphasize not only the academic
achievement, but also teaching achievement. Only good teacher can train good student. So, it is pressing
for universities to focuses on teaching. Meanwhile, universities have to reform present human resource
management system, to give more weight to teaching achievement in the title assessment. What’s more,
we have to improve teachers’ treatment for the purpose of attracting good teachers to devote into
teaching. It is the precondition for ensuring teaching quality that give full scope to the initiative of the
teachers. Apart from that, we have to establish teaching evaluation system and standard and complete
teaching monitoring system.
4.3. To adjust higher education scale according to economic development.
In short term, we should carry out corresponding policy to restrict higher education’s scale. For long
term, we should make a long-term plan for balancing higher education development and economic
development. We have to coordinate higher education and medium and lower education’s development
level to prevent manual workers' earnings more than those of mental workers situation. Higher
education must fully consider the close relationship between major structures or education type and
economic structure. To let the supply of talents meet the demand for talents, higher education can have a
positive effect on economic growth. Therefore, it’s pressing for major structures offered in higher
education to reach the society industry structure’s subject demand.
4.4. Government administration departments have to tighten the macro control, quicken the
personnel system, household register system, and social insurance-related systems’ reform.
The purpose is to promote graduate employment work’s standardization and legalization, and secure
employment market’s healthy development. We have to behave actively in building up employment
counsel service system, which major tasks are as follows. First, to intensify the tracking service for
graduates and job market and to construct a feedback mechanism. Second, to reinforce graduates
employment counsel service and help they find a good job. Third, to strengthen graduates occupation
life planning work. Forth, to train and complete job market system
By examining the past experience of enlarged enrollment in higher education, we can see the
achievements that it has contributed to education and economy development and problems as well. The
problems do not come from it. However, the enlarged enrollment makes the problems sharper and
counteracts the education popularization development. Therefore, to make clear the root of these
problems and find out solution are what educationist and economist and even the whole society’s
common concern. The future higher education must enlarge enrollment step by step when it transfers
from elite education to the mass education. At the same time, it has to give attention to both speed and
quality to avoid the side effect from enlarged enrollment and achieve the education popularization
target.
Reference
[1] Zhang Cheng. 2006. Examining Enlarged Enrollment in Higher Education Rationally. The Research
of Higher Education Literature 2.
[2] Liu Lei, Wang Yong. 2005. Looking at Enlarged Enrollment in Higher Education from Solo's Mode.
Gansu Agriculture 5.
[3] Zou Xiaojuan. 2005. Brief Analysis on the Problems and Countermeasures from Enlarged
Enrollment in Higher Education. Si Chuan Occupational Periodical 6.
[4] Ran Yaqing. 2005. Pondering over Enlarged Enrollment in Higher Education from Economic Aspect.
Economist 6.
[5] Qi Yuehua. 2005. Influence and Countermeasure from Enlarged Enrollment in Higher Education.
Theory Research 5
795