Between a rock and a hard place: higher education reform and innovation in China

Abstract

Purpose -Over the past few decades China's higher education has gone through dramatic growth and multiple rounds of reforms accompanied by a remarkable amount of financial investment, all aiming at developing world-class universities to grow innovative talents. Yet the outcomes so far have been disappointing. This paper aims to investigate this issue.Design/methodology/approach -By reviewing and analyzing selected educational reforms in higher education in China, this article discusses the reasons of the gap between the massive input for innovation in higher education in China and abysmal results. This paper also reports and analyzes a case that challenges central control and the gaokao system.Findings -Central control and the gaokao, the infamous college entrance exam, are the bedrocks of China's higher education and also the culprit for China's failure to cultivate innovative talents. Unless they are fundamentally changed it is unlikely that China will have the higher education system it dreams of having.Originality/value -This article provides an overview of China's efforts to cultivate innovative talents by strategically investing in building world-class higher education institutions (HEIs) and analyzes the reasons behind the apparent gap between its massive input and the abysmal results achieved.

Undergraduate Chinese students' perspectives on Gaokao examination: Strengths, weaknesses, and implications

“…There is no, according to the authors' knowledge, single study that adopts the qualitative approach to understand the students' perspectives who experienced the exam. For example, one review paper by Zhang, Zao, and Lei, (2012) referred to the Gaokao test as bedrock of China's higher education and the culprit for China's unsuccessful education policy to foster innovative talents. Likewise, Liu (2013) stated that Gaokao symbolically stands for a meritocratic selection that leaves no place for discovering talents from all social origins but rather favors "those from professional families, from urban developed areas and those who have better secondary schools" (p. 884).…”

Teacher Mediated Agency in Educational Reform in China

“…This top-down implementation manner and external evaluation system result in a compliance culture and some reform requirements become bureaucratic burdens for universities (Liu and Rosa 2008 ). Secondly, the subjects and programmes universities can offer and the number of students that can be recruited are also strictly controlled by the central or provincial government (Zhang et al 2012 ). The third aspect is that presidents of public universities are appointed and dismissed by the government (Zhang et al 2012 ).…”

A Multiphase Mixed Methods Approach to the Internationalization of Higher Education in South Africa: Outline of a Discursive Research Framework

“…Throughout this evolutionary process China has given great priority to HE and has promulgated various laws and policies to govern HE (Kang, 2004;Li, 2004); v. China accentuates the global reputation of universities to develop the country (Reddy, Xie, & Tang, 2016;Rui, 2015); and vi. The opening up of China to the global world presents severe challenges to China's HE system (Chen, 2004;Pei, 2017;Yaisawarng & Ng, 2014;Zhang, Zhao, & Lei, 2012).…”