Jiangsu University in East China's Jiangsu Province has started granting outstanding young tutors a "para-professor" title, which is awarded solely in accordance with their academic merit and regardless of age or seniority.

The move, designed to promote young teachers to senior posts, has broken the provincial tradition regarding the appraisal of professional titles.

In the southern city of Guangzhou, many universities have also this year abolished the lifelong tenure of professors to encourage competition between the faculty.

Such enterprising measures reveal a practical and scientific approach by these universities in selecting their faculty.

It will benefit the universities because a lively and more competitive faculty will constantly help improve their teaching and management systems.

It also offers young teachers more opportunities to exercise their talents.

The change of personnel system is in line with the rapid development and reform in the higher education sector.

China's universities and colleges have received billions of yuan in investment in recent years, which has been turned into new buildings, logistics services and advanced teaching facilities.

The number of university students has also reached an unprecedented level.

The recent progress calls for more competent teachers to guarantee the quality of higher education.

The promotional system reform by Jiangsu University and other universities doubtlessly follows this call.

These new practices ought to be taken up by all universities throughout China in a push to further sustain the development of higher education.

(China Daily January 8, 2003)