Give autonomy to higher education authorities

Guangdong provincial education authority issued a notice to promote the autonomy of its universities, but more practical action is needed to implement the notice, said an article in Southern Metropolis Daily (excerpts below).

Despite growing university enrollment, the number of students are still not meeting public demands, with a lot seeking education overseas creating a serious brain drain.

One reason for this embarrassing trend is Chinese universities cannot provide a pure academic environment due to the lack of autonomy and independence of the schools.

Universities rely on the education authority for funding, enrollment, teacher approval and administration.

The Education Ministry is responsible for appointing faculty administrators at some key universities. The power of professors is much weaker than the power of education officials.

It is good that the Education Ministry has entitled some key universities to enroll students according to their own needs. Local governments and education authorities should comply and grant overdue autonomy to the higher education authorities step by step.