The Chinese Education Dilemma: How to Create Harvard-Level Universities?

China intends to become a leader in higher education in the near future.Experts believe that it will be rather difficult to create world-class universities, as Beijing insists on ideological control. The Chinese government has already presented a plan to create world-class universities, which has raised concerns of the Communist Party - whether it will succeed in achieving the goal, while maintaining complete control of the existing ideology over the educational system.

When creating universities fully "staffed" by the best professors and teachers, it is important that the structure of the educational environment is independent.

The plan released last Thursday by the State Council states that China should become a "world power in higher education" by 2050, and in some areas, universities should reach world standards by 2020. The draft also calls for strengthening party leadership and ideological work in higher education institutions.

The party retains strong authority over campuses through committee members, although university rectors are in charge of day-to-day business.

But, according to Xiong Binge, deputy director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, the two goals will be difficult to reconcile: “To become a world-class university, priority must be given to modern andindependent management system, ”he commented. Xiong believes that "eliminating bureaucratic red tape in education should be fundamental for universities and higher education institutions, as it can help increase autonomy in teaching and research."

Chinese President Xi Jinping last year called for an expansion of "ideological leadership" and more extensive study of Marxism in universities. Chinese Education Minister Yuan Guiren agreed: "The classrooms should be cleared of foreign textbooks that spread Western values. "These statements have raised concerns among many experts both in China and abroad amid fears that ideological control will stifle academic change.

After the announcement of the plan by the State Council, the rector of Beijing Lin Jianhua University said it would present its own plan to achieve "world-class" standards in education, Beijing News reported.He hopes to achieve this goal by 2048. To which Xiong Bingye replies: Chinese universities should not be modeled after Harvard or Cambridge.They may have their own characteristics, but autonomy is a key point for the future reform of the education system. "