 A new reform program at China’s prestigious Peking University is receiving strong response not only on campus but throughout the country. What is the reform plan, and how will it impact on China’s schools of higher learning?
Peking University (or Beijing University, widely known as Beida) is always a news maker. It most recently hit the headlines over a planned, radical overhaul of its faculty appointment and promotion policies. For the top university management, the proposed reform program is in fact meant to carry on the legacy of Cai Yuanpei, former president of the university. In his career as an educational reformer in the early 20th century, Cai synthesized valuable thoughts and ideas from China and the West, making Peking University a center for free and open scholarly thinking. Of all the famous educators in the world, the present president of Peking University Xu Zhihong said he admires Cai the most, because Cai challenged the status quo. And the proposed reforms today also challenge the status quo.
Before Peking University released the hotly debated reform draft, other prestigious Chinese institutions of higher learning have made similar efforts to improve and upgrade academic excellence. Whatever the result, many critics observe that the proposed reforms might trigger changes cross Chinese academia, turning a new chapter in China’s higher education reform.
Shortly after the draft plan of the personnel system reform was launched, the Beida Billboard Bulletin System (or BBS) was inundated with notes from both opponents and supporters. The new move has also attracted extensive media coverage across the country as Beida is widely cited as a weather vane for higher education reform.
“Beida’s personnel system reform is an important step forward as China’s higher education reform reaches a most critical time. The most critical university reform is the reform of the personnel system,” said Ji Baocheng, president of Renmin University.
“Beida’s reform is following the overall planning of the government. The essence of the reform is to comply with the market economic system. The fundamental problem is to bring in a competitive system and solve one of the difficulties of not being able to dismiss or lower the title of unqualified faculty in the existing personnel system,” said Hou Zixin, president of Nankai University.
According to the university’s authoritative interpretations, the basic features of the reform plan can be summed up as follows: 1). teachers are employed and moved to work at different levels of posts; 2). an elimination system will be instituted for different branches of learning which do not have good prospects for development; 3). a competitive mechanism from outside will be introduced for personnel employment and promotion; 4). in principle, no students of Beida will be directly recruited into the teaching staff upon graduation; 5). posts for teachers are divided into two kinds: teaching and research, and full time teaching; 6). a judge’s panel of professors will be set up for teacher employment and promotion. As soon as the reform was proposed, it aroused great controversy. But the chief initiator of the reforms, President of Peking University Xu Zhihong is undeterred.
“Beida has not always experienced consensus. No reform in China has incorporated one hundred percent support. People in Beida, professors or students, all have very strong characters. I fully understand this. It doesn't matter whether they criticize or hold extreme opinions. That’s in line with Beida’s style. The problem is how many people support this reform. It is all right if the majority of the Beida people, say, 70 percent support the reform. Reforms have always complied with the interests of the majority of the people,” said Xu Zhihong, president of Peking University.
“The personnel system reform at Beida is soon to be set down and will cause quite a stir inside the university. It incorporates common concern from the education field and the society as a whole in China.40 or so years have passed since I enrolled at the university and later stayed to work here. My whole life is closely related with the school and I feel strongly attached. In my view, the reform plan is filled with passion, a strong sense of mission and obligation. As a “native” of Beida, I’ve seen from the reform plan for the school and feel much encouraged,” said Yi Jiexiong, professor of Peking University.
The university’s management claims that they have taken everything into consideration in developing the reforms. Two panels of well-established professors of the university worked out the first version of the new statute in early May, after amending nine previous drafts. From May 12 on, they publicized the proposal on the university website to seek wider comment. A second version of the reform statute based on public responses was produced for further discussion on June 16. In the opinion of the university leaders, all the six major moves proposed in the draft plan are typical practices in foreign universities, no matter whether they are first class or third class. But Beida aims to make itself first class. And the reform is a critical step toward that goal.
“It aims to nurture the nation’s talents, especially world noted and innovative personnel in science and technology. We are charged with the duty to cultivate hosts of scientists, social activists, thinkers and statesmen. In my view, this should not only be an ideal of Beida, but also an obligatory responsibility,” said Yi Jiexiong.
In China, teaching in the institutions of higher learning is widely regarded as lifelong employment contract, which any college or university cannot easily do away with unless the employee chooses to quit by himself or seriously violates relevant laws and regulations. Almost all of the six major moves proposed in the draft of the reform plan were heavily criticized, as well as strongly defended. The most concentrated opposite opinion was related to the social sciences department. The sharpest opinion was expressed in this question: “Is it to reform, or castrate Beida?” this is a question concerning the life or death of Chinese culture, a question confronting the Chinese nation. The last opposing opinion, which raises the matter to the level of principle, was an accusation that the current reform plan goes so far as to break the law. Although in the first round of debate, there were many critical opinions, expression of support constituted the mainstream.
“If a nation is to become the world’s first class developed country, it must have the world’s first class universities. The US has Harvard, Yale and Princeton, Britain has Oxford and Cambridge, Japan has Tokyo and Waseda universities. In these universities, they all have world noted scholars,” said Yi Jiexiong.
In its 105 years of history, Beida has trained numerous students and postgraduates. These people are now scattered all over China, the bulk of them having become pillars of all aspects of society. Some have developed into statesmen, social activists, scholars, professors, scientists, writers and managers of enterprises. Many foreign students have also spent memorable years in Beida. To demonstrate openness in academic fields and promote mutual cooperation, the school also established exchange programs with many world famous universities. Following the policy of “Being oriented to modernization, to the world and to the future,” the university is undergoing a process of readjustment and reform so as to raise the quality of teaching and to promote research.
“In my understanding, the ultimate goal of the reform is to establish a fair, just and open platform for competition and draw talented personnel from the world over to cultivate talents for our country. At the same time, the reform aims to put an end to some of the old practices of “connection” or “humanitarian” professors, for some of the teachers may have got promoted primarily due to their good behavior,” said Yi Jiexiong.
Peking University, formerly the Jingshi Daxuetang (the Metropolitan University) of the imperial Qing Dynasty, is one of the country’s oldest and most eminent universities and dubbed “China’s Harvard University”: thanks to its huge influence on Chinese society. Mao Zedong, Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, all founders of the Communist Party of China, either taught or held offices in the university. Lu Xun, a great contemporary writer, thinker and spiritual guru of the Chinese New-Culture Movement, which took place in 1919 and sparked China’s anti-imperialism and anti-feudalism march, was also attached to the university. By reforming its personnel system, the university is hoping to attract more such great thinkers and educators.
“If the top leaders are still the decision makers in the reform, for example, the academic board or the administrative personnel are appointed by the leaders, it is most probable and very quickly that the competent ones will be dismissed while the unqualified ones will stay. They must believe the faculty members of the school and be liberal enough to let them vote for the academic board so that fair and really academically accomplished scholars will join in the recruitment of teachers. It is the right way to choose genuine talent and eliminate incompetents,” said Yi Jiexiong.
People are still watching the progress of the reform. In an open letter to all the faculty members and students of the school, Peking University President Xu Zhihong said “If it is necessary, we will seek public feedback a third time before the new policy is brought into operation,” Xu also said that the program could never be perfect. There are only two ways to deal with a reform, do it or not.
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