Pearl Briefing | A textbook case of thwarted academic independence?
The exit of an education pioneer does not bode well for a groundbreaking Shenzhen university
It was a beginning and an end in one.
As the new semester began, Zhu Qingshi delivered his last welcome speech to incoming students at the South University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen, marking an official end to his five-year run as the founding president at an institution once touted as the future for other mainland universities.
For some pessimists, Zhu's departure marks the end, if not the total failure, of a high-profile experiment aimed at cutting through all the red tape Zhu saw as restricting the flow of creativity and innovation among students.
In his speech to more than 600 first-year students on Monday, Zhu repeated the question renowned scientist Qian Xuesen raised when he met then premier Wen Jiabao in 2005: why is it that China's universities cannot foster outstanding talent, despite the wealth of money and resources poured into the system?
Zhu's answer was that the existing education system focused too much on textbooks and exams, leaving little room for students to expand their knowledge, pursue their interests and experiment with ideas.
He had hoped the new university, modelled on Hong Kong facilities with an independent administration and curriculum, could make students more innovative because they would by rated not only on their exam scores but also on their ability to learn and solve problems.