Internationalization of higher education in China: modern trends

Размещено на http://www.allbest.ru/

Размещено на http://www.allbest.ru/

Internationalization of higher education in China: modern trends

Svetlana S. Donetskaya - Dr. Sci. (Economics), Prof.

Novosibirsk State University

Yan Zhan - student,

Heilongjiang University, Harbin, China

Abstract

The article analyzes the processes of internationalization of higher education in China at the beginning of the 21st century. Based on data from the Ministry of Education of China, legislation and publications that are publicly available on the Chinese Internet, it is shown how the number of students visiting China, their preferences in choosing universities and educational programs changed from 2000 to 2016. Information on government activities to support international students is provided.

The internationalization of higher education plays an important role in the foreign-policy activities of modern China. Foreign students teaching and expanding of Chinese language teaching in foreign countries can be considered as the “soft power” of influence of Chinese national culture. Such actions from the point of view of the Chinese government should contribute to the formation of an attractive image of China, reduce the level of external threats, increase stability and economic prosperity of the country. Therefore, the government aims to attract as many foreign students as possible, especially from neighboring countries, and spends a lot of money on these purposes. The policy of internationalization of education has achieved significant results over the past 15 years. Today, students from all over the world obtain higher education in China. The number of foreign students increased in 2016 compared to 2000 by 8.4 times, reaching almost 450 thousand people. The possibilities for foreign students to choose profession and university have expanded. Now they come to China not only to learn Chinese, but also to obtain qualifications in engineering, economics, management and Western medicine.

Keywords: internationalization, higher education in China, foreign students, government support

Интернационализация высшего образования в Китае: современные тенденции

Донецкая Светлана Сергеевна - д-р экон. наук, проф.

Жань Янь - студент. Хэйлунцзянский университет

Аннотация

В статье анализируются процессы интернационализации высшего образования, происходящие в Китае в начале XXI в. На основе данных Министерства образования Китая, законодательных актов и публикаций, находящихся в открытом доступе в сети китайского Интернета,, показано, как изменилась численность студентов, приезжающих в Китай, трансформировались их предпочтения в выборе университетов и программ обучения с 2000 по 2016 годы. Представлена информация о государственных мероприятиях по поддержке иностранных студентов.

Интернационализация высшего образования играет важную роль во внешнеполитической деятельности современного Китая. Обучение иностранных студентов и расширение преподавания китайского языка в зарубежных странах можно рассматривать как «мягкую силу» влияния китайской национальной культуры. Такие действия, с точки зрения китайского правительства, должны способствовать формированию привлекательного образа Китая, снижению уровня внешних угроз, повышению стабильности и росту экономического процветания государства. Поэтому правительство стремится привлечь как можно больше иностранных студентов, особенно из соседних стран, и расходует на эти цели немалые средства. Политика интернационализации образования позволила достичь значимых результатов за последние 15 лет. Сегодня в китайских университетах обучаются граждане всех стран мира. Численность иностранных студентов увеличилась в 2016 г. по сравнению с 2000 г. в 8,4 раза, достигнув почти 450 тыс. человек. Расширились возможности выбора иностранными студентами специальностей и университетов. Теперь в Китай приезжают не только для изучения китайского языка,, но и для получения квалификации по инженерным специальностям, экономике, управлению и медицине.

Ключевые слова: интернационализация, высшее образование в Китае, иностранные студенты в Китае, государственная поддержка

Introduction

It is believed that the internationalization of education in China started long time ago when the Sui dynasty first began to accept Japanese students who came to China to study the theory of Confucianism. However, China's widespread recognition of foreign students occurred during the Tang dynasty, when Japan as well as the countries located on the territory of modern North and South Korea, Vietnam and a number of other Southeast Asian countries, massively began to send their students and monks to study abroad - to China. The scale of the internationalization of that time is shown by Japanese data, according to it each batch of Japanese students sent to study in China was numbered from 10 to 20 people. Historians suggest that China's higher education system was one of the best in the world at that time. Even then, in China there were educational institutions equivalent to modern Peking University and Tsinghua University, which have a high international reputation, comparable to the current reputation of leading universities such as Harvard and Cambridge, and maybe even higher. Therefore, a lot of foreigners were proud of the education they obtained in ancient China, especially during the Sui and Tang dynasties¹.

A lot of water has flown under the bridges since then. Following the territorial changes, the state system of China was transformed, and its education system has undergone lots of reforms. For modern China, the most significant reforms of higher education were adopted at the end of the last century, when the country embarked on the creation of world-class universities, the universal improvement of the quality of education and the development of science. As a result, by 2016, higher education from elite became widespread [1]. Now, one in three young people aged 20-24 years is a university or a college student, while in 1995 the figure was only 2.7% (calculated according to [2; 3]). Over the past two decades, China has been actively introducing mass study of the English language and promoting its dominant role in international relations [4]. These initiatives have contributed to the rapid advancement of Chinese universities in the most influential international rankings: the Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Rating), QS World Universities Rankings and Times Higher Education World University Rankings. For example, in the strictest of them, the Shanghai ranking, which was created to assess the place of Chinese universities in the global scientific and educational community, in the year of its foundation (2003), two Chinese universities showed the best results: Tsinghua University and Peking University, which ranked places 201300. In 2018, these universities firmly established in the top 100, respectively, in 45th and 57th places. In total, 51 Chinese universities are positioned in the top 500 of the ARWU ranking, while in 2003 there were only 9 universities Academic Ranking of World Universities..

The end of the last century can be considered as the beginning of the modern history of the internationalization of higher education in China, when, in order to study foreign experience and copy successful educational practices, the Chinese government allowed its citizens to study abroad. And the flow of travelers began to grow rapidly on average by 17% per year reaching 544.5 thousand people in 2016 (or 2.1% of the total number of Chinese students) [2].

Today many modern forms of higher education internationalization are practiced in China [5]. This is primarily: sending Chinese students and teachers abroad, attracting foreign teachers and students to China, implementing joint educational programs and opening foreign language centers [6-8]. However, not all of them have been given enough attention in Russian- language or translated publications published in Russia. The processes of traveling abroad for Chinese students, the creation and implementation of joint Russian-Chinese programs, as well as the opening of Chinese language centers abroad [6; 9] are reflected best. And only fragmentary, without tracking the dynamics of the process, information about the teaching of foreign students in China is presented [6; 10; 11].

Therefore, the authors of the article considered it necessary, based on the analysis of the data of the Ministry of Education of China, legislation and publications that are publicly available, including on the Chinese Internet, to show how the number of students coming to China has changed their preferences in choosing universities and educational programs from 2000 to 2016, as well as provide information on government activities to attract and support foreign students in China.

internationalization higher education china

Government programs to support international students

Modern China is the third country in the world after the United States and the United Kingdom to attract foreign students³. In Asia, China is the most popular state for foreign students' education [12]. The main reason for this international recognition is not only the rapid improvement of the quality of Chinese university education, but also the targeted efforts of the Chinese government. Since the mid-2000s it has been implementing a “soft power” strategy which suggests distribution through cultural exchanges and educational programs of Chinese national values. According to the authors of the strategy, such actions should lead to the formation of an attractive image of China, reduce the level of external threats, increase stability and economic prosperity of the state. The leading role in this strategy is given to the promotion of the Chinese language and the Chinese education system [13; 14]. We should also note that the internationalization of education is recognized as the main mission of Chinese universities in the “Program for Medium-term and Long-term Reform and Development of Education of the PRC for 2010-- 2020”⁴. Therefore, the list of educational programs for foreign students is expanding every year (presented on the website of the Ministry of Education of China⁵). These are, above all, undergraduate, graduate or doctoral programs. However, there are also internships, as well as student exchange programs that do not involve obtaining academic degrees. Whatever program foreign citizens come to, they all have attractive opportunities for further education and building a successful career.

The government allocates huge funds to implement the strategy of “soft” propaganda of Chinese education [12], spent on supporting foreign students, attracting foreign scholars [6; 10] and financing Confucius Institutes (there are over 480 of them worldwide already [15]). The Bureau of Foreign Affairs of the State Education Commission of the PRC has developed state programs to support foreign students. For example, the National Commission for Education of the PRC provides scholarships for foreign students studying in China through bilateral agreements. In total, 235 types of scholarships⁵ are being implemented today, in 2016 they were received by 50 thousand foreign students from 183 countries (approximately 12.5% of the total number of foreign students), including 40% of foreign first-year studentsChina is becom ing the third largest country to study abroad Countries supported for obtaining education in China. (In Chinese). The percentage of graduate students among those receiving scholarships was 69% in 2016 [16]. We should note that now state educational initiatives are directed mainly to the countries located along the modern Silk Road (within the “One Belt, one road” strategy), where 4.4 billion people live (63% of the world's population) [17; 18]. Therefore, today 61% of all scholarships assigned to foreign students are held by citizens of these countries. Starting from 2016 and over the next five years, the Chinese government intends to annually pay scholarships to another 10 thousand of such students [18]. We should note that scholarships for foreign students are not given disinterestedly. Their recipients must speak Chinese or have required language courses. For example, a one-year study of the Chinese language is necessary for the study of engineering, scientific specialties, management, economics, law, the visual arts and western medicine; for learning Chinese medicine, literature, history, philosophy - two-year language courses. If at the end of the course the student is unable to achieve the required level of proficiency in Chinese, the scholarship payment is terminated [14].

Most international students prefer to study in first-tier cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai. However, despite the fact that the capital of China is at the forefront of attracting foreign students, until 2006 only a few foreign students studying at Beijing universities could count on state support⁸. After 2006, the Ministry of Education and the Chinese Scholarship Council started working with universities to develop scholarship projects. Only in 2016, according to statistics of the Ministry of Education of China, 10 scholarship projects to support foreign students were implemented in Beijing municipalities. Another 15 projects were implemented in 15 higher education institutions in Beijing. In total 598 students were supported that year. In 2017, 11 municipal projects and 21 projects at universities and colleges were implemented to support 502 students. These projects are intended for students coming from countries belonging to the “One Belt, One Road” initiative and studying in the following areas: aerospace, electrical and railway activities, law, Chinese medicine, finance, architecture and electronic information engineering. By 2020, the number of such projects should increase to up 100⁹. Similar scholarship initiatives are being established in other university cities of China.

In the near future the Chinese government plans to make the process of foreign students teaching even more comfortable. For that purpose they are planning to increase funding for universities that host foreign students (currently, such universities are additionally allocated funds for the purchase of educational materials, reimbursed the tuition and living expenses of students, necessary medical expenses for their services, and also provided subsidies for organized group holiday tripsManagement activities for foreign students. (2010-2020). The program of medium-term and long-term reform and development of education in the PRC for 2010-2020. ); to develop programs to encourage “returning” students (i.e., obtaining the next academic degree in China) and graduates who start their businesses in China, as well as expand their internship opportunities [18].

Fig. 1. Dynamics ofthe number offoreign students in China from 2000 to 2016 Sources of information: [16; 19].

Dynamics ofthe number of foreign students in China

The rational policy of the Chinese government to attract foreign students to the country almost immediately affected the increase in their flow. So, if in 2000 the number of foreign students in China was just over 50 thousand people, then it took only four years to exceed the mark of 100 thousand people (Fig. 1). Since then, every two years, the total number of foreign students has increased by about 50 thousand people (33%). In 2016, more than 440 thousand people arrived in China, which is 9 times more than in 2000 [16; 19]. The share of foreign students in the total number of students studying in China also increased: from 2.8% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2014 (calculated according to [2; 16; 19]). However, despite all efforts, China has not yet reached the halfmillion number of foreign students planned by 2020¹¹, and their share in the total number of students is almost four times less than that of the leaders of the internationalization of higher education in the UK and Canada (19.3 and 21.9% respectivelyChina is becoming the third largest country to study abroad. ).

Foreign students in China are usually divided into two groups: “academic students” and “nonacademic students.” Academic students are students studying for the purpose of obtaining academic degrees of bachelor, master or doctor or specialist diploma after completing two or three years of training in a particular specialty. Nonacademic students are enrolled in various longterm and short-term programs that do not involve obtaining these degrees and diplomas. This includes students who come to the exchange [19]. The educational policy of the Chinese government is aimed at attracting foreign citizens to the country to receive academic degrees [16]. That is why in the last 15 years the number of foreign academic students has been growing annually by an average of 20.6%, and their share in the total number of foreign students increased from 20% in 2000 to 47.7% in 2016 [16]. The number of non-academic students has been increasing more slowly - by an average of 13.8% per year.

An analysis of the structure of academic students has shown that these are mainly bachelor students. In 2000, their share in the total number of foreign students was 20.3%, in 2009 it reached 30.5% and remained similar in the following years (Fig. 2). The second largest group of students with academic qualifications is a group of master's students, and this explains a slight increase in the total number of foreign students. From 2000 to 2007, the share of in the total number of foreign students fluctuated around the level of 4%. Since 2008, it has increased annually by 0.7 percentage points, reaching 9.5% in 2014 (Fig. 2). The share of doctoral students for 15 years was 2.5-2.6% of the total number of foreign students. The share of professional students who receive the lowest level of professional qualifications after training is insignificant - 0.9% (with the exception of 2.1% in 2002).

Fig. 2. Percentages of bachelors, masters, doctoral students and specialists from the total number of foreign students from 2000 to 2014 Sources of information: [16; 19].

Country structure ofinternational students

Despite the fact that citizens of all countries of the world are already studying in China [18], to attract them various initiatives are being implemented, the government is constantly looking for new educational opportunities for foreign students. And after the start of the implementation of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative, most of the new projects are aimed at “soft” promotion of Chinese education in the countries located along the new silk road. Therefore, it is not surprising that these countries have become a growth point for increasing the number of foreign students in China. According to the Ministry of Education of China, in 2017, 64.9% of foreign students came from countries belonging to the “One Belt, One Road” initiative [20].

Table 1

Dynamics of the number of foreign students who came to China from eight foreign countries from 2000 to 2016