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Ministry of Education of China Spent Billions on Foreign Students' Education in 2018
By Stella on 2019-08-13

Last year, the expenditure on foreign students’ studying in China was about 3,384 billion yuan, and management on foreign students and Chinese students will finally reach convergence.

The Ministry of Education recently released its annual accounts for 2018, showing that the Ministry of Education spent about 3,384 billion yuan on foreign students’ studying in China, while it spent about 2,286 billion yuan on domestic high school education and 645 million yuan on primary education during the same period.

The head of the Ministry of Education said that the funds are mainly used to fund non-Chinese citizens who study or conduct scientific researches in Chinese universities and colleges in accordance with the educational exchange agreements signed by the Chinese government and the governments of relevant countries (regions). A total of 63,000 students who won Chinese government scholarships studied in China in 2018, accounting for 12.8 percent of the total number of foreign students coming to China. The funds are directly allocated to universities and colleges, most of which are spent on cultivation and management on foreign students in China as a whole, and only the living expenses are paid to the scholarship students themselves.

The Ministry of Education attaches great importance to source and quality of scholarship students who can win Chinese government scholarships, and requires China Scholarship Council as well as universities and colleges to implement strict selection and admission. Meanwhile, an annual review on those scholarship students is necessary. If some students fail the review, their eligibility for scholarships must be suspended or canceled. These measures are used to effectively improve quality of cultivation and efficiency. Next, the Ministry of Education will further improve the system of enrollment and management, and raise standards so as to guarantee good quality. At the same time, it is necessary to perfect evaluation mechanism of scholarships at universities and colleges, and cancel some universities and colleges’ qualifications for scholarship, which illegally enroll or cultivate foreign students or whose quality is substandard.

The leader also emphasized that Standards for the Quality of Higher Education for Foreign Students in China (Trial) clearly propose to promote the convergence of teaching, management and service on Chinese and foreign students, require universities and colleges to embrace the education of foreign students into the education quality assurance system of the whole school, realize a unified standard of teaching management and examination evaluation system, and provide equal and consistent teaching resources and management service to ensure cultural exchange and legitimate rights of domestic and foreign students.

The Ministry of Education will further promote convergence of management and service on foreign students and Chinese students, and reinforce to urge administrative departments of education with universities and colleges to put policies into practice. Universities and colleges should popularize education of Chinese laws and regulations, school discipline and safety education among foreign students who come to China in their enrollment and daily studying Those foreign students who violate laws and discipline must be dealt with seriously. And if they are suspected of committing crimes, schools should cooperate with the relevant departments in accordance with laws and regulations, without any exception. However, convergence does not mean assimilation. We should not only treat Chinese and foreign students equally, but also respect differences in customs, languages and cultures of foreign students who come to China. Based on principles of reasonableness, fairness and prudence, we should help foreign students to understand China’s national conditions and cultures and integrate into schools and society as soon as possible.