University tuition hike unwarranted

The increase in university tuition fees, in some cases more than 40 percent, has caused a stir, with some critics even seeing it as a threat to the promise of providing equal opportunities to urban and rural students.

Chinese universities are known for squandering money on projects that don't benefit students, such as extravagant buildings, overstaffed administrative departments, and government-funded research programs. Whether or not the increase in tuition fees is justified depends on whether the cost of higher education is reasonable.

Internationally, university tuition fees are usually less that 20 percent of the per capita disposable income of a country or region. Bing Qi, a commentator on education, says in an article in Beijing Youth Daily that calculations show the burden of higher education on households remains high despite the increase in average income in recent years.