An additional 1,600 military officers will be sent for
postgraduate education at 29 universities and colleges, including
the prestigious Qinghua and Beijing universities.
The decision was made by the Ministry of Education and the
General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army
recently to produce high-caliber officers for the modernization
drive of the armed forces.
The move constitutes part of a program launched by the ministry
and the armed forces in 2001. Nearly 3,000 military officers have
since been trained at selected non-military institutions of higher
learning.
During a meeting of PLA delegates on postgraduate education
earlier this week, Defense Minister Cao
Gangchuan said the armed forces have brought forth more than
4,100 graduates with doctorate degrees and over 22,500 graduates
with master's degree since 1992.
According to a decision made at the meeting, PLA will further
improve postgraduate education for its military officers by
increasing the proportion of the contents on military sciences and
giving priority to engineering courses closely related to new,
high-tech weapons and equipment and information technology.
Liang Guanglie, chief of the PLA general staff, told the meeting
that more sub-stantial efforts are needed to step up postgraduate
education in military specialties, and train more and more
postgraduates for front-line troops.
He called for a new mechanism to be worked out for training
military professionals through both military academies and
non-military institutions of higher education, and attract and
retain professionals.
According to an article in the latest edition of
"Outlook" news weekly, PLA's massive training program was
made after the military summed up the changing military development
trends.
The magazine cited the examples of wars in the Gulf region and
Kosovo in the 1990s and the war between Iran and Iraq in the
1980s.
(eastday.com October 1, 2003)