Campuses Getting More CrowdedWith China expanding college enrollment last fall, higher learning institutions recruited more than 2.7 million students last year, up 24 percent over 1998, a Ministry of Education spokesman said.And the country's 1,071 colleges and universities have been performing well in arranging study, accommodations and other campus affairs, according to the ministry. Colleges and universities will admit 3 million students this year, 200,000 more than last year, ministry sources said. Meanwhile, about 530,000 adult schools have opened for those who fail the national entrance examinations for regular colleges and universities. Last year, these schools gave some 101 million students specialized skills, such as in agriculture and industry. A ministry action plan says adult schools expect to help upgrade labor skills, which is crucial as illiteracy and poor early education slow China's move from a traditional agrarian nation to a modern industrial one. One other ministry statistic: Eighty percent of Chinese children are receiving primary school and middle school education, and the other 20 per cent are likely to do so in the next three years. |
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