Source: Nanfang Daily 2013-03-14 Page A03
Written by: Lei Yu
Translated by: Chen Zhiyong

In the two sessions this year, Xu Ningsheng, NPC Deputy and President of Sun Yat-sen University, was interviewed over the heatedly discussed issue about Guangdong and Jiangsu being “pacesetter” and “pursuer”. When talking of the need for Guangdong’s education to catch up with others, this modest, refined scholar started with pre-school education. He acknowledged that other provinces are trying to catch up with Guangdong in economy and believed that Guangdong should catch up with others in education. As for the fact that the pursuers are gaining on Guangdong in economy, he thought that accelerating Guangdong’s development is in no conflict with its transformation and upgrading.

Size and Quality of Education in Guangdong Need Improving

In the Government Work Report, Premier Wen Jiabao mentioned that education spending last year accounted for 4% of GDP for the first time. Xu Ningsheng believed that the next step would be to think about how to spend the money well and raise education quality. He said that the core mission of education is enhancing the general quality of our citizens through pre-school education to higher education and resolving the lack of high-quality human resources. “Developing pre-school education is necessary,” he said, “quality education should begin in kindergartens. It would be late-starting in colleges.” Xu Ningsheng also considered that the current problem faced by higher education is how to build a talent pool for the country to participate in long-term international competition.

Talking about the debate of Guangdong and Jiangsu being “pacesetter” and “pursuer”, Xu Ningsheng thought that while other provinces are trying to catch up with Guangdong in economy, Guangdong should catch up with others in education. Guangdong’s education lags behind for historical reasons: its foundation is weak and it is faced with a double challenge both in size and in quality. Guangdong’s education will lag further behind Jiangsu and Zhejiang if its higher education does not improve. The next step is to vigorously develop top disciplines, and engineering will have to speed up. Guangdong is now the manufacturing centre of China, but it requires strengthening basic and cutting-edge technology research to solve the lack of technology innovative talents “at the doorstep”.

"For Guangdong’s education to catch up with others, it is not about one college or one discipline, but about improving education quality as much as we can.” Xu Ningsheng said. Guangdong should have its strategic planning over core indicators like high-level talents, undergraduate education and research quality. Faster development, transformation and upgrading, and developing high-tech and strategic emerging industries are the outer driving forces for Guangdong’s further development; inside the university, we should advocate “dedication to teaching, students and learning” and make concerted efforts to do our best.

No Conflict between Faster Development and Transformation and Upgrading

"There is no conflict between Guangdong’s faster development and its transformation and upgrading.” Xu Ningsheng said. The Pearl River Delta should accelerate transformation and upgrading while the rest of Guangdong should speed up development.

Xu Ningsheng believed that the key to faster transformation and upgrading of Pearl River Delta is new and profound ideas in the process: stretching key industrial chains by various means, among which the most important is high-end industry layout and technology spending. “But it does not mean getting rid of other links in the chain. Some might be eliminated but some low-end industries can still develop. It needs scientific consideration.”

As for the rest of Guangdong, Xu Ningsheng suggested that the development of east and west wings can be combined with “big ocean” strategy. If Guangdong’s marine industry wants bigger developments and to be worth billions, it still needs to start with science and technology. He also suggested that Guangdong’s “double transition” be combined with labour training and building specific-industry-oriented towns. “If well planned, these towns can avoid repetitive construction and create scale effect.”