China mulls restricting study abroad programs over worry of 'western influence' on youth

China is trying to draft a "mechanism to discourage minors from studying abroad" as at least 90 percent of the Chinese preferred to move out of the country to study abroad, preferable in the US, a report by state-run  South China Morning Post revealed. In 2019, an estimated 700,000 Chinese left the country, this figure jumping by 6 percent from previously reported, the country's Ministry of Education alleged. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese students that aimed to get secondary-school education were recorded preparing for an education abroad, rather than their own home country, the ministry said. 

According to a report compiled by China’s online education platform, Koolearn, a service availed by one of China’s largest private educational service providers, New Oriental, at least 20 percent of Chinese below grade 12 level took part in exams pertaining to overseas education in 2019. This comprised of the final year of senior secondary school children, who prepared for the higher secondary education.

Despite the Chinese government’s elaborate efforts to strengthen the higher education sector in China, the Chinese students are choosing an education in countries such as the United States as the ‘global mindset’ spreads within the country. this, according to state-run media reports, has turned concerning for the Xi Jinping regime. Reports suggest, that in recent years before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the Chinese students have put pressure on embassies to push the Chinese government to relax border restrictions. 

[Forbes analysis of countries with most students abroad. Credit: Forbes]

Read: China Hits Canada For Statement Against Arbitrary Detention

Read: China Defends Use Of Twitter, Facebook In Virus Campaign

Chinese government expresses 'deep concerns'

China’s Ministry of Education, last month, told a national education conference that it would build "a mechanism to discourage minors from studying abroad". However, the ministry did not disclose the policies that it will formulate to take this course of action. As per a transcript of the conference, released earlier this month, accessed by the Chinese state-run agencies, expressed ‘deep concerns’ about the trend of Chinese students taking up higher education abroad, and not in their country.

A spokesperson for China’s education ministry, Xu Mei told a press conference, that the ministry wanted to deter Chinese students from going abroad as they were ‘young’ and new to the cultures abroad. Deputy director of the Shanghai-based 21st Century Education Research Institute, Xiong Bingqi, meanwhile, was reported saying that China was considering reforms in its education system in order to motivate kids to pursue education within their own nation. Addressing a possible contributing factor in the trend, Xiong further said, "Some kids don't have a local hukou in the city they live and study, so they are not allowed to take part in the city's senior high school entrance exam or national college entrance exam, and hence they choose to go abroad," 

Read: China Refutes Allegations Of Backing Myanmar Coup

Read: Zimbabwe Starts Administering China's Sinopharm Vaccines

Chinese government mulls over preventing minors from 'studying abroad': Report