More female students who study abroad are returning to China
80% of female Chinese students returned home in 2014 to China following their graduation to continue their careers back at home (China’s Ministry of Education). 60% of female students returned home in comparison to male students, they felt their career prospects and personal life prospects where better at home than abroad. As professional opportunities increase in China far less people are seeing outbound careers as the only option to progress their careers. 50% of returning graduates are returning to first tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. This has dropped over the past year to favour migration to second-tier cities as opportunities are rising and the cost of living remains lower. Click here for the full article.
China marches ahead in graduate education
Forecasts predict by 2030 China’s number of 25 –to 34 year old graduates will increase by 300% , which will supersede the likes of the US and Europe. As China continues to grow and move away from the traditional manufacturing industries with more focus on ‘knowledge based economies’, new universities are being built to meet the demand at almost a one new university every week. US has lead the graduate market with almost one third of the world’s graduates originating from the US. However as countries like China and India are providing higher education at moderate costs, Europe and the US have found it difficult to compete. The age old rhetoric amongst western universities being able to provide a better quality of education, may soon be fading as countries like China and India focus their attention on comparable education systems to the likes of the US and UK. Click here for the full article.
China Distance Education signs landmark deal
China Distance Education Holdings Limited (CDEL) announced on Monday that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire an 80% equity interest in Xiamen NetinNet Software for $32.6 million. China’s college market is looking to benefit from the deal through provision of NetinNet’s learning simulation software that specialises in practical accounting-related learning solutions. Mr. Zhengdong Zhu, Chairman and CEO of CDEL, said that the company is “delighted to announce the acquisitions of Xiamen NetinNet” and that it the deal will be “highly complementary to [the] business” by boosting cooperations within Chinese schools. Greater use of the program among Chinese college students is predicted to bolster student mastering of critical accounting skills through practical learning. Click here for the full article.
Default rates on Hecs loans fuelling a push to lower the threshold
Grattan Institute recommends that the threshold for Hecs loan repayments should drop from $54,000 to $42,000 claiming that this could save the budget $500 million a year. Grattan program director Andrew Norton said that while the Higher Education Loan Program (Help) is a “vital government program”, he pointed to recent a recent report that found ex-students either taking too long to clear their debts, or not clearing them entirely. The scale of students receiving higher education loans has increased from 5,300 in the first year of the loans program up to 203,000 in 2014. Many are blaming the unscrupulous nature of loan provision by vocational education providers. Click here for the full article.