The state monopoly on education is about to end, with the central Government drafting laws to allow private tertiary institutions, a senior official said.
Zhang Li, director of the National Centre for Education Development Research, a Ministry of Education think-tank, said authorities in coastal provinces had been granted the right to use private cash to finance colleges and universities for students going beyond the nine years of compulsory education.
China Daily quoted Mr Zhang as saying the system would be applied to other provinces 'in a big step towards de-centralisation' in the next century. Mr Zhang expected it to increase the number of teenagers going to college, from the present nine per cent to 15 per cent within 10 years.
Non-state institutions, including joint ventures with foreign partners, might set higher fees with the approval of local authorities, said Mr Zhang, who saw a ready market for expensive and high-quality private colleges.
The central Government is to introduce measures to help the new policy work, such as financial aid for vocational training after graduation, bank loans for poor students and special deals to encourage saving for education.
