China student aid development report 2017

2. Student financial aid upgraded

2.1 New breakthroughs in student aid and education

Promoted by the Ministry of Education, aiding and teaching has been included in the 2017 guideline for improving moral education in colleges and universities. It is clearly stated that a development-oriented financial aid system should be established to combine the work of poverty alleviation with the development of intelligence and aspirations for the future.

With a combination of national financial aid, school grants, social donations and students' personal endeavors, the system aims to construct an integrated and long-term mechanism in funding and educating students by offering them material aid, moral education, ability promotion and spiritual stimulation.

It should realize the integration of free and paid support, utilizing explicit and implicit financing, to form a beneficial cycle from poverty alleviation to talent cultivation, then to reaching one's full potential and contributing to society.

Such a system will bring out the best in students, helping them to develop good qualities such as self-reliance, honesty, trustworthiness, gratitude and courage. Schools have taken action to make innovations and find new ways to improve their work, and remarkable progress has been achieved.

2.2 Administration regulated in all areas

To ensure the full implementation of national student aid policies, the ministries of education and finance launched a campaign in 2017 for regulating the administration of student aid nationwide, specifying six norms, requiring all the relevant organizations to standardize their administration, responsibilities, aid procedures, funds management, information management and team building. According to the norms, schools carried out self-inspections in the first half of 2017 and the ministries of education and finance made spot tests in 12 provinces by the end of 2017. In general, the campaign achieved satisfactory outcomes.

2.2.1 A supervision mechanism set up for standardized administration

A supervision mechanism involving discipline inspection, auditing, the media, and the whole of society has been established to standardize the administration of student aid, aiming to not just solve short-term problems but also to realize positive, long-term effects. Regular inspections have been carried out to promote the supervision work of student aid.

2.2.2 Awareness of standardized management raised generally

The management staff's awareness of taking responsibility and providing service has been raised generally. The staff have now implemented national student financial aid policies in accordance with the six norms, and so the students generally have an enhanced sense of warmth from receiving financial aid.

2.2.3 The level of standardization remarkably increased

In accordance with the six norms, all schools nationwide have been focusing on wiping away irregularities in the implementation of policies and building up more standardized funding procedures, funds management and information management. Consequently, the level of precision funding has generally increased.