Higher Education Projects in China

1. Project Outline

The project has the physical component (building schools and installing educational equipment) and the technical assistance component (conducting training sessions), targeting colleges that are expected to play animportant role in reducing disparities between coastal and inland regions through fostering economic growth and a market-based economy.

2. Background

A further development of a market-based economy is essential for China if she is to take an additional step forward in pursuit of the reform and open-door policy. This requires a cadre of people well versed in such disciplines as information technology, finance, accounting and law. China's inland regions are also facing a challenge of developing their economies to reduce regional disparities, which calls for human resource development. Other urgent challenges in China include addressing structural adjustment of industries by providing job skill training for unemployed workers created by accelerating reforms of state-owned enterprises after China's entry in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and promoting education to increase general welfare in rural areas. In addition, the spread of elementary and secondary education has been increasing quantitative needs for higher education.

3. Detailed Description

The project targets colleges that will play an important role in reducing disparities between coastal andinland regions through developing a market-based economy and economic growth, developing rural areas and promoting reforms of state-owned enterprises. The physical component of the project includes: building and/or expanding school buildings for teaching purposes and laboratories for research purposes; and developing the overall educational infrastructure for teaching, research and college campuses. The technical assistance component includes: strengthening school administration capacity, enhancing research know-how. All the trainingprograms are scheduled to be conducted in Japanese colleges and educational institutions.

4. Partners

64 institutions of higher education in 5 provinces and one city in China and corresponding local governments