Comment
Develop better colleges
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-16 07:54
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Develop better colleges
Comment on "Unqualified colleges must be shut down" (March 12, China Daily).
In his column, Liu Shinan addresses real issues about the value of college education in China. But instead of shutting down unqualified colleges, it could be more productive to grant more resources to develop such colleges and universities to improve their quality. The government could take the following steps for that: grant more funds to train administrative staff in managing higher education institutions, upgrade equipment and give Internet access for students, provide training for teachers with workshops and seminars, arrange on-site training for teachers and administrative staff, make online classes available for teachers to develop their skills, and grant more funds for research and better equipment in science labs.
China could consider developing another tier of higher education, similar to junior colleges in the US which provide students with training for a wide range of jobs that only require two years of study.
Ariel Ky via e-mail
In defense of the yuan
China has as much right to defend its position on its currency's value as the US has to ask for its revaluation. In doing so, they are defending their respective vital interests.
First, the yuan is not freely convertible. The Chinese government decides its exterior value. It is not tested on the global currency market. The government is certainly well aware that the country's monetary authority could not for long maintain the current value if a tidal wave pushes a convertible yuan up or down. Given all the current parameters - the growing importance of China's economy, its foreign exchange reserves, its competent, strong central government, its increasing weight in international affairs - it is safe to assume that a tidal wave would push it up.
Second, the harsh reaction of the US (and others) is caused less by the exterior value of the yuan than the lower costs of the Chinese products the US imports, which purportedly renders some American workers jobless. But the prices of imported goods are not only determined by the rate of exchange but by production costs in the exporting countries. Recent declarations made by Premier Wen Jiabao seem to hint that the government is well aware that the current export-driven economy is not a sustainable path. So there is hope.
Gotthard Frick, Switzerland via e-mail
(China Daily 03/16/2010 page9)
