Project 211, Biggest Investment in Higher Education in ChinaProject 211 as a trans-centenary key construction in higher education has made a considerable headway since it was initiated.The State Planning Commission has approved the project plans in 96 key universities with over 600 academic topics in major subjects arranged into the construction program and so far it has completed an investment of 15 billion yuan. According to some authorities in Ministry of Education (SOE), the implementation of the project will inject virile stamina and motive force into the development of national higher education and provide a strong support as well to the economic construction and social development. The overall goal of the "Project 211" is to build up a batch of institutes of higher learning and some key academic subjects during the "Ninth Five Year Plan" period to meet the challenge of the 21st century. And then on this basis more efforts will be made in the ensuing years to raise the quality of education, research, management and running of schools to a relatively higher level in around 100 key universities, thus rendering them into bases for cultivating mainly at home high-level personnel to cater to the needs of economic construction and social development. The Project 211 mainly falls into the following three categories: key academic subjects, public service system and related infrastructure construction. The State would fund part of the project, and the balance will be pooled in from various departments and localities as well as institutes of higher learning themselves. According to the preliminary goal of SOE, during the "10th Five Year Plan" period, stresses will be laid on the construction of wideband network for education and scientific research, digital library, public system for sharing educational information and so on. By PD Online staff Yin Zhili |
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