China's universities and colleges plan to enroll 5.7 million students in 2007 -- 5 percent up from last year, said an official with the Ministry of Education in Beijing on Tuesday.

 

The number of postgraduates will reach 424,000 which is 6 percent up from 2006, said Yuan Guiren, Deputy Minister of Education.

 

Yuan said the ministry would limit the growth of university enrollments and most of the increased quota would go to the relatively under-developed western regions of China.

 

He said the ministry would focus on improving the quality and conditions of higher education rather than increasing the number of students.

 

China's college enrollment rate stood at around 3 percent in the mid 1980s, lower than many developing countries, but rose to 5 percent in the early 1990s.

 

In 1999, when the government decided to expand higher education, universities enrolled 1.6 million students. This is up 48 percent on the previous year.

 

In 2005 5 million students were enrolled. This is 4.7 times more than in 1998. The number of students in higher education institutions hit 23 million in 2005 which is the highest in the world.

 

Many experts, students and parents alike believe the expansion of university enrollments that began in 1999 has led to a decline in teaching quality and study conditions in universities.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2007)