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)