Editorials
Autonomy for colleges
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-04 07:48
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Some universities are very utilitarian and everything they do is linked with money. This is virtually detrimental to their development, said Premier Wen Jiabao this week about the universal and major problems that Chinese universities face.
Premier Wen, who has been seeking the opinions from within the academic circle for his work report at the annual session of the National People's Congress early next month, continued to say that a good university must be unique and independent. What he says scratches exactly where it itches.
To be unique and independent, universities must have the right to preside over their own affairs. Premier Wen did emphasize that institutions of higher learning must have autonomy to run on their own.
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As a result, the performance of professors and students are measured by the number of research papers they publish, akin to the way government officials are assessed by figures of gross domestic product.
The reason? University presidents are only responsible to their higher authorities, such as the Ministry of Education or local education authorities. The figures are what they need to show how much they have achieved and to prove their worth in receiving a promotion. They show no concern for whether the academic environment is good enough for professors and students to really delve into what they are learning.
No wonder academic scandals are emerging one after another. There is also an increasingly prosperous business of selling dissertations or having them published for those who need diplomas, degree certifications or promotions.
The fact that Premier Wen is greatly concerned with how to better manage China's universities suggests how serious the problem is.
It is right for universities to have autonomy to run their own affairs, such as enrolling students and hiring or dismissing professors. But it does not mean that most would do a good job once they were given the autonomy with their present governing mode.
There is no board of directors to make sure that a university president does not abuse his power in enrolling students or professors. There are organizations to protect the interest of professors or students, but there is no effective supervisory organization or mechanism to make sure that educational resources are reasonably and justifiably used.
Premier Wen has raised a substantive question that deserves serious consideration if China really wants to have first class universities.
Much needs to be done before the universities are given autonomy. University presidents should be elected from among professors rather than nominated by higher education authorities. Both professors and students should have the right to decide whether their president should stay or go. After all, autonomy can only be given when a mechanism is in place to make sure that it is employed for the promotion of a university's quality.
(China Daily 02/04/2010 page8)
