Much has been made of the impact falling birth rates will have on many nations in East Asia in recent years. While many of these discussions center around the impact a decrease in the number of young people will have on economic growth and the ability of nations to care for their elderly populations, it is also the case that these demographic changes are having a major impact on university systems throughout the region.
As far back as 2007, the New York Times reported that up to a third of seats in some Japanese Universities were going unfilled on account of the reduced number of students of college age residing within the nation. Similarly, a recent article in University World News noted that Chinese universities are similarly beginning to face decreased demand for their services on account of a shrinking university age population. Conventional wisdom has pointed toward the closure of some of the universities in those nations most acutely affected by population contraction. Might it make more sense however to rethink this strategy, and instead do something quite different? For some time now, the world has seen the U.S. and some other parts of the world such as parts of Europe and Australia as education destinations. A considerable number of students in universities in these parts of the world come from foreign localities.
What if East Asia and China made a concerted effort to style themselves as academic destination nations, and what if they targeted a market of students which has not yet fully been tapped? China has sought to increase its impact in the developing world, especially through the completion of development projects in sub-Saharan Africa. What if, either as part of foreign aid efforts or through some other means, China and other nations in East Asia undertook a vigorous campaign to attract students from parts of the developing world in which access to a university education was not guaranteed, to the empty seats at their nation’s universities? It is certainly the case that the funding mechanism for such a program would have to be developed, but if such a plan as has been outlined here were enacted, the problem of unused university space could be solved, and China along with other nations in East Asia could fundamentally improve access to university education in the developing world.
Sources,
http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120106163701271
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/22/world/asia/22universities.html
It is truly an interesting to think about China as a study abroad destination country. Since people around me, Chinese, are everywhere in different countries to pursue academia. The questions you raised triggered me to look into some data offered by Chinese official about the international students in China. In 2011, there are 290000 international students in China. Most of them are from Asian countries. Number one home country is Korea, Second is US and third is Japan. I think this is similar to the Japan situation we talked about today in class. Countries dealt with China more tends to be more interested in gaining education too. Not long ago, Qinghua University trying to improve its international existence and promote international student body restructured the admission curriculum of international students. This also raised a questions of fairness for those foreign born Chinese relatively to native Chinese students.
As you stated, the boom of high education in Asia is not only in quality but also quantity in 1990-2000. But who will fill the seats in those classrooms tends to be a question. I think Japan and Korea may need to deal with this problem more. China still, has big rural areas which people are difficult to get any education resources. And the fast economic growth cannot left peasants offspring deserted. The populace’s cultivation are still fell back than Japan and Korea.
Great response.
I think the issue goes beyond funding. These universities would have to make very strong efforts to draft an international curriculum and get all stakeholders on board (teachers, students, parents, researchers). Although, this may help reduce the “fairness” problem raised, the creators would have to be very mindful on what attracts international students (for Asia and the rest of the world).
I didn’t see your response before I posted this week’s news. I also picked up the same angle and used the Tsinghua case. Shake hands! It is still very hard for domestic students to get into top universities in China (985 universities in Shanghai, less than 10%) and meanwhile, the enrollment rate of general universities is around 75% these years. The purpose of recruiting more international students is to show the global influence, not fill the seats. In this case, the quality of higher education is more important for Chinese universities at this period. I think the key point is not to lower the standards of admission, but to create strong international curriculum and recruit more international professors.