Party-school 'degrees' downgraded after abuse

The Communist Party will no longer insist that party-school certificates have the same status as university-issued qualifications, amid growing public dismay over widespread abuse of the system.

The reversal in policy was made public early last month and stipulated that academic certificates issued by party schools not be given equal status unless the schools were certified by the Ministry of Education.

It is not clear how authorities will push forward with the revision, but by stripping most of the party schools of authority to churn out degree- status certificates, the change promises to settle a two-decade debate over the role of the institutions.

The party-school system has been part of the drive since the late 1980s to consolidate the Communist Party's grip on power, by grooming officials.

But the schools quickly evolved into a tertiary education system that was regarded as the equivalent of the country's university system and offered elite party members a shortcut to a university-status degree. Their benefits and promotions were usually tied to that qualification.

Students at party schools take just two years to complete a 'bachelor's degree' - which otherwise requires four years of full-time study at a mainstream university.

A loophole in the party-school system also allows some elite members and even some business executives to buy degrees without actually attending classes, or by simply networking with others.