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Turning out too many grads with useless 'hot' degrees

IF you're jobless after graduation, just don't graduate so quickly, suggests a professor of political economy in Beijing.

Cai Jiming, a professor from Qinghua University, on Saturday suggested China approve new degrees such as "post-master" or even "post-bachelor" to help students who cannot find jobs stay on campus.

Cai is a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He made the recommendation at a press conference given by the ongoing CPPCC annual session.

If a bachelor's or a master's degree can't ensure you a job, why should you think a "post-bachelor's" or "post-master's" degree will do the trick? Cai's assumption is that China's economy will likely rebound to create a full-employment society by the time today's jobless students get a "post-bachelor's" or "post-master's" degree. He gave no proof.

China News Service reported last Friday that about 10 million college graduates will be seeking jobs this year ?? that includes around 6 million fresh graduates and those who have been seeking work for the past few years.

Blind expansion in college enrollment since 1999 is surely to blame for the over supply of graduates, but that's not the whole story. After all, a nation can't have too many college students.

One problem is that many universities have created so-called "hot" majors, such as international trade, accounting and law, that far outstripped demand, according to Gu Hailiang, president of Wuhan University and a member of the National People's Congress. He delivered his comments on March 4.

Indeed, it's not simply the increasing number of college students that is the problem. The diminishing quality of college education - manifested in blind "credentialing students" with whatever "hot" degrees - is a major culprit, if not the biggest one.


 

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