In today’s talking points: Increase in grants by the Ministry of Education will see the student dropout rate fall; More African student choosing to further education in China; Australia loses its top position in Asia Pacific in the latest university humanities ranking; OECD report reveals Australia lacks in science graduates
Increase in grants by the Ministry of Education will see the student dropout rate fall
An increase in grants given to students by the Ministry of Education and other actions to help disadvantaged students will see the school dropout rate decrease to less than 5 percent by the year 2020. In total, 700 billion yuan worth of grants were given to students from 2012-2016, an increase of nearly 50 percent from 2012. Other actions, including support for rural teachers and students, demonstrate an acknowledgment by the Ministry of Education of the disadvantaged. In addition, laws surrounding employment ensure that employers can not hire people under the age of 16, and parents are held responsible under the Compulsory Education Law to make sure their children finish their education.
Read more at: China Daily
More African student choosing to further education in China
An appreciation of China’s education system can be see through the increasing amounts of African students choosing to further their study in China, says a senior government official. Cooperation between China’s First Lady Peng Liyuan and her Zambian counterpart Esther Lungu has seen Zambian students in particular participate in a 2016 program to study singing and dancing in China. The effective relationship between China and Zambia has meant that currently over 3500 Zambian students now study in China, with over 800 scholarships being awarded by the Chinese government.
Read more at: Xinhua
Australia loses its top position in Asia Pacific in the latest university humanities ranking
The Australian National University has lost its position as the best humanities university in the Asia Pacific region as it fell eight places out of the top 30 on the latest Times Higher Education ranking. Meanwhile, Peking University of Beijing broke into the top 20, establishing itself as the top humanities university in Asia Pacific. The Australian National University was also overtaken by universities from Hong Kong and Singapore. In the overall rankings, both Peking University and Tsinghua University ranked ahead of Australia’s top university, Melbourne University. The Chief Executive of the Group of Eight, a network of Australia’s eight top research intensive tertiary institutions, believes that the effects of proposed funding cuts on tertiary education will endanger Australia’s international education sector which comprises AU$23.6 billion.
Read more at: The Australian
OECD report reveals Australia lacks in science graduates
An OECD report has shown that compared to other OECD countries Australia has some of the highest rates of people attending university with nearly 50 percent of Australians aged between 25 and 34 having studied at a tertiary level, compared to the OECD average of 43 per cent. Although large amount of students are graduating from Australian universities, courses involving engineering, manufacturing and construction have less graduates than the OECD average with only 8 percent studying in these fields compared to the OECD’s 14 percent. Australia’s average spending on tertiary institutions is also much lower than the OEDC’s 70 per cent average.
Read more at: The Sydney Morning Herald