Big money aimed at top universities
China will invest around 110 billion yuan ($17.2 billion) by 2020 to help the country’s top 42 universities become first-class institutions, while creating 137 universities with first-class standing in specific fields. China.org
Kim’s note: If we were designing a brand-new university system for Canada or the US, my belief is we’d likely consider a system that concentrated resources, to an even greater extent than is the current practice, in centers of excellence. Each university may have fewer programs, but those programs would be bigger and better funded. This may better reflect current student mobility trends and help prepare students for specific careers even more effectively. Sadly this type of restructuring would be almost impossible to implement in most countries. However, in China things are different, and it seems like this is part of what the Chinese government is doing. If so many Chinese universities become first-class institutions, then China will become an even greater powerhouse globally, a fierce global competitor for international students, and be able to retain more highly talented students in China, reducing the number of strong students who elect to study abroad
