More than 80 percent of university students in China want to
study abroad, according to a new online survey.
The survey, conducted by the China Youth Daily and
involving 2,400 university students, revealed that 42 percent of
respondents believe an overseas education will be beneficial to
their future career development.
It also showed 66 percent felt students with an education
background overseas were more competitive than graduates from
domestic universities when it came to job hunting.
"The CEOs of Nasdaq-listed Baidu and Sohu both received an
overseas education," said He He, a student at Sichuan University,
adding that the variety of majors offered by universities abroad
was a significant factor.
Liang Ke, a senior student at Tsinghua Journalism School, plans
to study social work via an AIDS education internship in India,
explaining that universities at home rarely offer these kinds of
courses.
Mao Tingting, who works for an agency that arranges overseas
study for Chinese students, said students were attracted by the
handsome scholarships on offer and better job prospects.
China's present five to ten percent growth in university
enrolment makes graduates' job prospects gloomier, Mao added.
The survey also showed the favorite destinations for overseas
study were the United States, Britain, France, Australia and
Canada.
Statistics from the Ministry of Education showed that in 2006
more than 130,000 Chinese went abroad for further study.
To cope with the trend, China's National Education Examinations
Authority recently announced it would offer 100,000 online TOEFL
(Test of English as a Foreign Language) seats in 2008 to residents
of the Chinese mainland, up 80 percent on the figure in 2007.
(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2007)