Years ago, going abroad for further studies was the dream of almost every Chinese graduate.

However, though Chinese students are still keen on studying abroad, they are much more rational nowadays. Statistics show that the number of students going abroad to study has been gradually decreasing year by year since 2003.

Liu Chang, a 22-year-old student who graduated recently from Beijing Normal University, waited in line to talk with Wayne Sigler, director of admissions of the University of Minnesota, at the 2005 International Education Expo which concluded on Monday at the China International Exhibition Centre in Beijing.

"I asked many detailed questions," said Liu, who had just taken her International English Language Testing System exam. "I wanted to make everything clear before I go."

Talking about her wish to study abroad, Liu said without hesitation: "It's clear. I'm interested in studying East Asia. For a major like this, you need to have a broader mind and different perspectives."

"Every student I have met over these two days has been very nice and careful about their decision to go abroad," Sigler said. "Though we have 15 staff from the university here to answer questions, probably the biggest group among all foreign schools attending this expo, students still have to queue for a long time to talk with us."

In 2003, about 123,000 students went overseas for further education, whereas the number dropped to 115,000 last year, according to Cai Junjie, a department manager at Beijing JJL, a leading overseas education consultancy in China.

"It's likely we will see another drop this year," Cai said.

"It's important for students to make clear their aims before going abroad. Fortunately, more and more students have realized that and given careful thought to studying overseas," Cai said.

According to the department manager, the United States is still the first choice for Chinese students looking to pursue their studies abroad, followed by Britain, Canada and Australia.

Because of its more favourable visa policies this year, the US Embassy in China saw an increase in the number of visa applications in the first six months of 2005. However, for many other countries, things were just the opposite.

"The number of applicants we've had so far is slightly down compared to the same period of last year," said Nick Davison, a visa officer with the British Embassy in Beijing. "It's not only Britain. As far as I know, many other countries except the United States have witnessed a slight decrease in the number of applications."

Song Lijun, director of the international exchange and co-operation office of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, considers this decrease a sign of China's maturing education market.

"It's natural. Because of the college expansion plan, higher education is now more available in China," Song said.

And the highly competitive employment market is also an important factor. "Students who have finished their studies abroad and come back to China are no longer scarce and the demand for them has dipped," said Song. "Some of them face unemployment as well. Under such circumstances, students have to take a rational look at overseas education."

Davison also mentioned that for Chinese students, applying for foreign universities by themselves is no longer the only way to study abroad. "As China is stepping up its international educational co-operation with foreign educational institutions, there are more and more 2+2 courses or 2+1 courses, which include one or two years' study abroad.

"Also, high exchange rates make living much more expensive for Chinese students in Europe and other countries," Davison said.

Parents are also now more reluctant to send their children abroad, experts say.

"Students under 18 account for a very small proportion of all students going abroad," Cai said. "Our education authorities don't encourage sending young students overseas, for they are less self-dependant and lack self-control. They are easily influenced by negative ways of life."

Sigler said his university did not welcome people without a high school diploma. "It's better that Chinese parents think carefully before sending their young children abroad," he said.

An interesting aspect of this year's fair was the opening of non-academic study opportunities. The International Forum on Vocational Education held last Sunday sent out a message that technical staff would enjoy more chances to study abroad in the coming years.

"We're stepping up co-operation with foreign institutions to push forward vocational education in China," said Huang Yao, director of the Vocational and Adult Education Department of the Ministry of Education. "Advanced education modules will be introduced into the country, and technical workers will be able to pursue an overseas vocational degree."

Based on statistics from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, senior technical workers only account for 4 per cent of China's 70 million technical workers, far behind the 30 to 40 per cent level in developed countries. The skilled manpower deficit sits at 10 million workers in China.

"Promoting vocational education will help ease employment tension," Huang said. "The 120 million migrant workers in Chinese cities will get vocational training for better jobs. The move is designed to meet the growing need for skilled workers in China, especially in the service industry."

Education officials from embassies and institutions from France, Australia, Canada and the Republic of Korea attended the forum and gave a detailed introduction into the development of vocational education in their countries.

"We are working closely with Chinese educational institutions on five programmes," said Dominique Dubois, an education official from the French Embassy. "Students will be educated both in China and France, and awarded degrees jointly issued by the two countries."

At the invitation of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, which staged this year's expo, a total of 180 schools from 30 overseas countries and regions and 400 domestic education institutions attended the event.

Some world famous universities attending the expo attracted thousands of students, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Yale University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

(China Daily 07/16/2005 page3)