Science university chief on 'thin ice' in bid to cut red tape

Skating on thin ice is how Dr Zhu Qingshi has often described his job as the founding president of the South University of Science and Technology of China - the first mainland university to be founded free of bureaucratic control.

Zhu, who was in Beijing attending the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said the ice had actually got thinner after the university opened its door to 45 students at the beginning of the month, because there was still no legal framework for how such a university should be run.

'The attitudes of a few officials in key positions matter the most, so there's no guarantee we'll make it through,' said soft-spoken Zhu.

The university, located in Shenzhen, plans to recruit 150 more students in September and another 250 next year, with the eventual goal of having a maximum of 400 in each year of study. The first intake was delayed six months because of late approval from the Ministry of Education for the school's launch.

Zhu has avoided being critical of the ministry for fear of irritating officials. That is the thin-ice part. He said many of the top scholars he had approached showed great interest in the university, but worried about its future. Even Zhu is not in a position to make any promises.

He said they had hoped to have a board of directors to which they could report to for decisions on key issues, while being left alone to handle day-to-day management.