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Experts Call for Rational Understanding of Overseas Study Desire
Many Chinese students are very likely to tread their first step along the march to overseas study amid the forthcoming 2001 China International Higher Education Exhibition, and put billions of US dollars into the pockets of foreign higher educational institutions.
However, the substantial financial outflow for educational purposes might bring to China considerable future benefits, which can not be evaluated merely in economic terms, Monday's China Youth Daily quoted experts as saying.
"We should objectively analyze the losses and gains of Chinese students' passion for overseas studies and the concomitant handsome investment, which points at some US$4.82 billion per year, according to some unofficial calculations," said Ma, Yu' e, an official from China Overseas Study Service Center (COSSC).
Challenging the description of the 4.82 billion as losses of Chinese educational resources, Ma held that Chinese students studying abroad will bring advanced knowledge in economics, trade and technology back to their motherland and lead to far greater economic gains than the initial investment.
Shao Wei, vice director of COSSC, said that it is worth attention that some people are now capable of allocating substantial sums of money to change their fate through overseas studies.
As China becomes increasingly open to the outside world, the notion that education is a business is becoming deeply rooted among the public. Capital input and output constitute important considerations in making vital educational decisions.
Although overseas study costs more than domestic education, expected better future employment opportunities and financial compensation for the former still attract many followers.
Shao said that while showing the attractions of foreign educational opportunities, China is simultaneously striving to market Chinese higher education in various foreign countries.
"A diversified student body is the hallmark of improved higher educational system. China should justify the overseas study desire from this angle", said Ma Yu'e.
The COSSC has toured prestigious Chinese universities to Japan and Korea in the past two consecutive years and received favorable responses from students there. Now, overseas students in China amount to some 40,000.
"We hope that the Exhibition becomes a communication channel between countries. People's focus should not be narrowed at the possible economic gains of foreign educational institutions," Shao Wei said.
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