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Much like the U.S., China is aiming to address a problematic demographic that has recently emerged: a generation of jobless graduates. China’s solution to that problem, however, has some in the country scratching their heads.
China’s Ministry of Education announced this week plans to phase out majors producing unemployable graduates, according to state-run media Xinhua. The government will soon start evaluating college majors by their employment rates, downsizing or cutting those studies in which less than 60% of graduates fail for two consecutive years to find work.
The move is meant to solve a problem that has surfaced as the number of China’s university educated have jumped to 8,930 people per every 100,000 in 2010, up nearly 150% from 2000, according to China’s 2010 Census. The surge of collge grads, while an accomplishment for the country, has contributed to an overflow of workers whose skillsets don’t match with the needs of the export-led, manufacturing-based economy.
Yet the government’s decision to curb majors is facing resistance. Many university professors in China are unhappy with the Ministry of Education’s move, as it will likely shrink the talent pool needed for various subjects, such as biology, that are critical to the country’s aim of becoming a leader in science and technology but do not currently have a strong market demand, a report in the state-run China Daily report said.
An op-ed in the Beijing News criticizes the approach for a different reason, saying that it will only spur false reporting of employment rates from schools that are looking for greater autonomy to produce more diversified, higher qualified students.
Official data already shows that the country’s educated jobless, referred to as the “ant tribe,” appear to be decreasing. In 2010, 72% of recent graduates found work, up from 68% in 2009, according to the Ministry of Education.
None of the reports specified which majors would be cut under the new rules, but there are signs that some universities have already started taking steps to decrease the size of programs that don’t result in paid positions. Enrollment in a Russian program at China’s Shenyang Normal University was cut to 25 students this year from 50 in previous years, according to a report in the China Daily.
Education has become a heated topic in China, as the country looks to propel the rise of its own companies and its own technologies. To succeed in that quest, the government has said, the country must produce more innovators. Tight restrictions over education are seen as the reason that creativity in China has been stifled and as the reason that so many have chosen to flee overseas for their studies.
Chinese have questioned whether someone like Apple founder Steve Jobs could ever emerge from an education system that seeks to push down students who stand out from the crowd.
Many Chinese students with enough funding have turned to universities in the U.S., which have a history of churning out graduates who’ve gone on to become some of the world’s top innovators. Last year, 128,000 Chinese students went to the U.S., making China the country with the highest number of overseas pupils in American universities, according to a 2010 report from the Institute of International Education.
But as the U.S. struggles to cope with its own generation of jobless graduates, the American education system has also come into question and many American college students are rethinking the value of their own majors. What if the U.S. government were to adopt China’s approach? According to the most recent U.S. census data, among the first majors to go: psychology, U.S. history and military technologies.
– Laurie Burkitt. Follow her on Twitter @lburkitt
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Source: [url]http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2011/11/23/china-to-cancel-college-majors-that-dont-pay/[/url]
Before they begin cutting out majors, it would be nice if they also downsized the entire college experience. You shouldn't have to spend 4+ years getting a degree for a job that should only take 2.
This is what the US needs to do. Sorry but going to college for liberal arts and then complaining about a crushing student loan doesn't really get you a ton of sympathy.
I'm not saying the arts aren't important and all that but there are useless majors and lots of kids that go to college for the "college experience"
This is absolutely moronic.
Rather than addressing the fundamental issue of improving the joke of a college system that they have, the government instead chooses to take away choices from students?
It's like trying to fix a leaking sink by selling the toilet.
[QUOTE=thrawn2787;33448875]This is what the US needs to do. Sorry but going to college for liberal arts and then complaining about a crushing student loan doesn't really get you a ton of sympathy.
I'm not saying the arts aren't important and all that but there are useless majors and lots of kids that go to college for the "college experience"[/QUOTE]
liberal arts majors tend to have nothing to do with "the arts".
[QUOTE=thrawn2787;33448875]This is what the US needs to do. Sorry but going to college for liberal arts and then complaining about a crushing student loan doesn't really get you a ton of sympathy.
I'm not saying the arts aren't important and all that but there are useless majors and lots of kids that go to college for the "college experience"[/QUOTE]
no this is absolutely not what the USA needs to do
Liberal arts doesn't matter, arts on the other hand is very important. Being able to draw good can land you a job quite easily. Combine that with some other skill and you got something worthy.
"I have a Ph.D in sociology, why can't I get a job!"
Cutting liberal arts as a program would be ridiculously stupid though. Many college students use liberal arts as a transitional point for deciding what they want to eventually major in/change to while still obtaining financial support.
[QUOTE=Rofl my Waff;33448933]liberal arts majors tend to have nothing to do with "the arts".[/QUOTE]
It can, it's pretty broad. But yeah tell me shit like women's studies, athletic training, "humanities", art, and the hordes of psychology majors we produce are useful.
[QUOTE=Rofl my Waff;33449005]Cutting liberal arts as a program would be ridiculously stupid though. Many college students use liberal arts as a transitional point for deciding what they want to eventually major in/change to while still obtaining financial support.[/QUOTE]Kinda confirms the fact that it's bloody useless.
How can you expect to have a culture of your own if you're a country comprised entirely of engineers and accountants? Arts is the reason why western/american culture is so universal.
[QUOTE=AceOfDivine;33449026]Kinda confirms the fact that it's bloody useless.[/QUOTE]
You can gain a lot of necessary credits in fields you are thinking about majoring by being a liberal arts major, it's pretty useful if you ask me.
[QUOTE=Noz;33449033]How can you expect to have a culture of your own if you're a country comprised entirely of engineers and accountants? Arts is the reason why western/american culture is so universal.[/QUOTE]
Again, the arts are important but do you really need to go to a $20,000+ a year school for 4 years to do it?
[QUOTE=Noz;33449033]How can you expect to have a culture of your own if you're a country comprised entirely of engineers and accountants? Arts is the reason why western/american culture is so universal.[/QUOTE]
Just because it has "art" in it's name does not instantly mean it's artistic.
The humanities are very important but I can't help thinking it's just not a good investment to go to university to study them at the moment
Don't really see an issue with terminating shit like "Master Programme in Femminist Movements of the 1960s".
However this will probably put an end to a lot of useful programmes too.
[QUOTE=acds;33449129]Don't really see an issue with terminating shit like "Master Programme in Femminist Movements of the 1960s".
However this will probably put an end to a lot of useful programmes too.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, the bullshit ones like that will get defended tooth and nail by their supporters.
But then this is China.
Why would anyone even go to college for some stupid course? Aren't colleges pricey?
[QUOTE=AceOfDivine;33449233]Why would anyone even go to college for some stupid course? Aren't colleges pricey?[/QUOTE]
Community colleges (in my state, not sure about the rest of the US) have very minimal bills. I am going to a 2 year community college and transfering to a 4 year and my bill this semester was only 1300.
Hey
Steve Jobs dropped out though...
[quote]Education has become a heated topic in China, as the country looks to propel the rise of its own companies and its own technologies. [B]To succeed in that quest, the government has said, the country must produce more innovators. Tight restrictions over education are seen as the reason that creativity in China has been stifled and as the reason that so many have chosen to flee overseas for their studies.[/B][/quote]
Took them long enough to realize that.
Works for me, because it means that if I'm not in demand in the U.S. when I graduate, I might be somewhere else.
This is actually kind of a smart move. Majors here in the US like English and Art are pretty much a dead end and have kind of limited job oppurtunities (depends on where you live I guess, Art and English majors here aren't in that much of a demand now a days in socal). If you're major is in a science field (biology, physics, etc) it's a better chance of getting a good paying job after college. I don't necessarily agree with China limiting peoples choice in their major but if this has some sort of improvement in their economy or output of graduates getting good jobs then others should follow.
[QUOTE=Shiftyze;33449291]Hey[/QUOTE]
Don't you go to college in China? I'm sure we would appreciate some insight from you.
[QUOTE=Charlievrw;33449490]Don't you go to college in China? I'm sure we would appreciate some insight from you.[/QUOTE]Not yet. I'm going next year. Applying as we speak.
[editline]26th November 2011[/editline]
Plus it might be different since Hong Kong is considered separate from China.
You should go to college and study what you enjoy, not what gets you a job.
I'm in Computer Science because that's what I enjoy, even if the pay is pretty shit.
If I was into Anthropology, that's what I would study. Jobs are overrated, and downright shitty anyway. I wish I didn't have to get a job.
[QUOTE=Kai-ryuu;33449398]This is actually kind of a smart move. Majors here in the US like English and Art are pretty much a dead end and have kind of limited job oppurtunities (depends on where you live I guess, Art and English majors here aren't in that much of a demand now a days in socal). If you're major is in a science field (biology, physics, etc) it's a better chance of getting a good paying job after college. I don't necessarily agree with China limiting peoples choice in their major but if this has some sort of improvement in their economy or output of graduates getting good jobs then others should follow.[/QUOTE]
The thing is though, that because China doesn't really have much of a biotech industry, they would be cutting plenty of majors (the article mentioned biology as one) that would easily land you a job if you were an American with a similar qualification from an American university.
[editline]27th November 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=PvtCupcakes;33450211]You should go to college and study what you enjoy, not what gets you a job.
I'm in Computer Science because that's what I enjoy, even if the pay is pretty shit.
If I was into Anthropology, that's what I would study. Jobs are overrated, and downright shitty anyway. I wish I didn't have to get a job.[/QUOTE]
This is the correct university mindset.
Chances are you'll do well in a field that you love.
It doesn't really matter whether these programs are leading to employment. The fact that the government gets to tell people how they will get to spend their college money, study time, and careers on is the travesty here.
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