THE prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts, like most tertiary institutions in China, has difficulty attracting students to faculties that promise no lucrative jobs after graduation.
Among the hardest hit is the faculty of Chinese painting, enrolment for which has had to change from an annual to a biannual event.
Academy Professor Lu Kunfeng said yesterday the change was made because applicants' results had dropped and they saw no promising prospects in this speciality.
''There was a time when we almost failed to enrol new students [to the Chinese painting faculty] because their results were so poor,'' he said.
''The situation was better after the fall of the Gang of Four when a large number of good students emerged. Because of the Cultural Revolution, they had no opportunity to go to universities or tertiary institutions.
''At present, most applicants are fresh graduates from high schools in which they could not spare the time to build a good foundation in fine arts,'' the 60-year-old renowned artist said.
The difficulty of finding a well-paid job after graduation was another reason behind the poor enrolment of students.
