This Day, That Year

Item from Nov 19, 1982, in China Daily: Young people from various work units in Shanghai attend a philosophy class organized by the Shanghai Municipal Library. In the 10 years from 1980, China will double enrollment in regular universities, increase the number of postgraduates by eight times, and speed up the use of out-of-the-ordinary forms of higher learning ...

Enrollment at regular universities in 1980 was 280,000 and it is expected to rise to 400,000 by 1985, and 600,000 by 1990. The total number of university students registered will rise from 1.14 million in 1980 to 1.3 million by 1985 and 2 million by 1990.

Following the move in 1999 by authorities to expand university enrollment, the number of college graduates has been growing and reached a record of 7.49 million this year, according to figures from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.