On the morning of March 6, Zhejiang Delegation convened the panel meeting. Though delegates sat randomly without name cards on the table, many journalists found the meeting venue of the 3rd panel was a little bit cool.
SUSTech President Chen Shiyi sat in the SW corner with Peking University President Lin Jianhua siting in his opposite in NE direction. And to the left of President Lin Jianhua was former President Zhai Jia of Wenzhou Medical University, who left his position in October 2015.
When the journalists positioned their filming cameras and powered off the voice recorders, the 3 university presidents started to talk in the midst of shutter sound.
“Innovation power will produce far-reaching and crucial influence on China. As a result, we should enhance innovations of institution and mechanism in senior education. To be specific, we should provide innovative education, cultivate innovative talents and generate innovative results with efforts in innovations. As a result, essence of innovations lies in innovation of education so as to establish the holistic and nationwide culture and atmosphere of entrepreneurship and innovation”, Delegate Chen Shiyi initiated his comments by elaborating on relations between innovation and education.
According to Delegate Chen Shiyi, “Building the innovative country, which is a major objective in the 13th 5-year Plan of China, should mainly rely on education of innovations, in particular the senior education of innovations.”
When talking about how to pursue innovations in senior education, President Chen Shiyi gave a few examples of his practice in SUSTech over the past 1 year since he took the position as SUSTech President, e.g., the 631 enrollment model, 3-term cultivation model, innovation academy and one-week consultancy service provided by SUSTech professors in enterprises, etc. He said, “Without innovative education and education innovations, there would be no such thing as lasting innovations, thus unable to support the efforts of building China into an innovative country and a power of talents”.
Delegate Chen Shiyi said, “The universities don’t have the right to determine many things”, such as academic degrees of postgraduates and number of students enrolled. He proposed, in the 13th 5-year Plan period, revising the Regulations on Academic Degrees issued 35 years ago so that universities have greater power of decision-making and so as to push forward building of innovative education.
After Delegate Chen Shiyi finished his words, the other 2 university presidents didn’t speak immediately. Instead, they glanced over the documents in front of them, seeming to think about something. After a few other delegates completed their speeches, President Lin Jianhua powered off the microphone in front of him, asking to speak.
“All industries share some common points. Private enterprises are confronted with challenges of innovation and supply-side reform. And education has the same problems”. In a very smart way, Delegate Lin Jianhua started his words on “senior education also needing supply-side reform”.
“People vote with their feet”. Each year, hundreds of thousands of students, after they graduate from high schools, would choose to study overseas. In light of this, Delegate Lin Jianhua proposed, “Senior education in China also needs supply-side reform”, and “Education is the foundation of strategy that innovation drives development”. His ideas are the same as those of Delegate Chen Shiyi. Delegate Lin Jianhua also suggested including the institutional reform of universities as part of national-level supply-side reform.
What would it be like when supply-side reform gets into universities? “Supply-side reform in senior education should consider interest demands in multiple aspects and seek the balance point”, explained Delegate Lin Jianhua, “The Party and government of China have drawn the bottom line of socialist orientation for senior education while pointing out where the senior education should go, e.g., developing academic, talent and sci-tech support for development of China;, the public expects that universities provide fair education universities and high-quality education; and universities should focus on improving the academic level and social influence.”
According to Delegate Lin Jianhua, in the 13th 5-year Plan period, the supply-side reform in senior education should fully consider appeals of all stakeholders, abandon the mentality of immediate interest and ensure the universities play a bigger role in human philosophic development, social progress and top-notch R&D.
“Since President Chen and President Lin are here representing national universities, I will say a few words on local universities”, Delegate Zhai Jia brought laughter to the meeting room with his humor. The former President of Wenzhou Medical University, on the day when he started for Beijing, received a piece of good news. In 2016, the Ministry of Education of China will resume student enrollment into pediatrics in 8 institutions of higher learning in China, including Wenzhou Medical University as the sole one in Zhejiang Province gaining access to the policy.
In the Government Work Report, Premier Li Keqiang pointed out that China should speed up cultivation of general practitioners and pediatricians. “Local colleges and universities should serve localities and cultivate talents urgently needed by grassroots people”, said Delegate Zhai Jia, “Local colleges and universities account for more than 85% of the total in China, including Wenzhou Medical University. But nowadays universities have little power of decision-making. Take the pediatricians as an example, the number of enrolling universities and enrolled students are not able to meet the needs. The universities have the ability of cultivate them. But we don’t have the power to make decisions”. Many delegates nodded after hearing the words of Delegate Zhai Jia.
“I think some rights should be delegated to universities”, said Delegate Lin Jianhua after hearing the words of Delegate Zhai Jia, “Talent cultivation should be oriented towards needs.”
When the 3 university presidents talked about innovation, reform, decision-making rights and other grand topics, the other delegates not only enjoyed their excellent arguments, but also the hint that China would accelerate institutional reform in senior education.
