Chinese protests over university quotas spread to third province
Residents demonstrate in Zhengzhou over education ministry’s demand that more than a dozen provinces admit a greater number of non-local college students
Hundreds of people took to the streets in Zhengzhou, Henan province, on Sunday to protest against what they say is an unfair quota for university places.
In the latest demonstration sparked by the mainland’s tertiary education policies, protesters holding banners demanding “fair education” gathered in Erqi Square, saying there were too few places available to local students.
A demand by the Ministry of Education earlier this month that universities in 14 provinces and big cities would have to admit a greater number of non-local students prompted protests in Jiangsu and Hubei provinces.
Protests over university admission quotas highlight challenge in reforming China’s education system
Parents in these provinces said the plan would make it harder for local students to get a place in their home provinces due to increased competition.
Under the mainland’s education system, university places are linked to household registration, with most universities giving preference to students from within their province.
Critics say the link to household registration results in distortions in university quotas, as
non-local students usually must score much higher than local applicants on entrance exams to get a place.
This puts students outside big cities, where most top universities are based, at a disadvantage. It also means students in provinces with large populations, such as Henan, are competing for relatively fewer places.
