Time to invest more money in education

It is widely acknowledged that China's higher education faces a serious funding shortfall. Though the past years have witnessed increased government input, the funding is far from enough.

According to relevant statistics, while the number of university students grew 2.91 times between 1998 and 2004, the government financial allocation for education grew only 1.78 times. And as a result, funds for each student declined from 9,829 yuan in 1998 to 6,982 yuan in 2004.

Since universities and colleges started charging for education in 1997, tuitions have increased fast. But given people's inability to bear such a burden and their increasing complaints, tuitions are unlikely to hike in the near future.