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China publishes list of 10,000 foreign institutions

The Ministry of Education in China has published a list of over 10,000 authorised foreign educational institutions in a bid to make students more aware of unauthorised overseas universities, as a survey shows wealthy Chinese parents are continuing to invest in overseas education.

The Ministry of Education wants to help Chinese students hoping to study overseas at their own expense as they provide an "important channel for national personnel training ". Photo: Philip Jägenstedt.

Chinese parents are investing in overseas education for their children, even as overall spending falls

The list spans 44 countries. On its website, the Ministry explains that it wants to help Chinese students hoping to study overseas at their own expense as they provide an “important channel for national personnel training”.

“The ministry’s list may not cover all the recognised universities, making it difficult for students to identify the unauthorised ones”

It addresses three issues which have prompted it to publish the list: the quality of overseas institutions; a “certain blindness” with which students and parents approach study abroad; and unscrupulous consulting agencies.

Addressing quality, the Ministry warns students about newly established private schools which it says are prone to collapse.

It explains that students may be at risk because they “lack a comprehensive understanding of the real impact of the right to choose schools and normal cooperation”.

It adds that this limited understanding of the industry could leave students open to exploitation.  As outbound student mobility continues to boom in China, thousands of consulting agencies have set up shop across the country, many of which are not registered.

The Ministry hopes that by enabling students and parents to identify authorised institutions, they will be able to avoid being ‘duped’ into attending low quality institutions.

However, Beijing Youth Daily has called upon the Ministry to go further to protect its students, suggesting that it should publish a corresponding list of unauthorised universities.

“The ministry’s list may not cover all the recognised universities, making it difficult for students to identify the unauthorised ones with names similar to those of regular academies,” it argued.

The announcement was made shortly after a survey showing that wealthy Chinese parents are investing in overseas education for their children, even as overall spending falls.

The Hurun Report polled 393 ‘High Net Worths’, defined as people with 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) or more in disposable income, for the Chinese Luxury Consumer Survey 2014.

The survey showed that although overall spending among Chinese millionaires has fallen by 15% last year, high spending on education, as well as daily luxuries and tourism, mean that consumer spending has remained constant.

“It is common practice for the rich to send their children overseas as a first step before they move to the country themselves when the children finish their education”

As more Chinese students travel abroad at a younger age, the UK is the most popular destination of choice for secondary education, followed by the US and then Canada, the report revealed.

Just over a third of parents surveyed said that the US would be their first choice in higher education, while the UK ranked second and Australia third.

Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of the Hurun Report, said that overseas education can offer some insight into emigration patterns.

“It is common practice for the rich to send their children overseas as a first step before they move to the country themselves when the children finish their education,” he explained.

The 1% drop in average annual spend (to 1.9% of net wealth) is partly down to a dramatic 25% drop in gift giving, thanks to a government crackdown on corruption, the survey said.

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