The number of students going abroad rose up from last year, when 2,235 scholars and students were sent to 57 countries with support from the scholarship.

The China Scholarship Council, whose task is to finance Chinese students who want to study abroad and foreigners who want to study in China, has adopted several changes in its programme for selecting government-funded scholars and students.

Priority will be given to applicants from seven key fields - telecommunications and information technology, high-tech in agriculture, life sciences and health, material science and new materials, energy and the environment, engineering science, and applied social science in addition to subjects related to the World Trade Organization.

However, despite the preference for students in these fields, the country will not stop support for students in other fields, the statement said.

Beginning next year, 200 professionals from key national research centres, government bodies and large and medium-sized State-owned enterprises will be selected as "high-level researchers" annually by the council.

Those researchers will study abroad for three to six months and each of them will receive US$1,800 to US$2,000 a month.

Other changes include an extension for the maximum period students can study abroad for government-funded visiting scholars. The maximum duration will extend from 12 months to 24 months.

Those who wish to apply for government-funded scholarships to study abroad have to do so from December 23 to March 10. Information can be found at www.csc.edu.cn.

Those selected are required to sign contracts before leaving and must return at the time designated by the council or pay a fine for violating the contract.

From 1996 to September of this year, China sent 12,401 scholars on government-funded scholarships to study in more than 50 countries, and more than 9,900 of them have returned home on schedule.

(China Daily December 6, 2002)