Overview
China has educational system that is heavily oriented toward the science-based technical training. Today, many of the graduates receive degrees in engineering, mathematics, computer science and natural sciences. The workforce in China is primarily composed of personnel working in all areas of technology development. Their experience provides critical human resource for building successful IT industry.
IT Engineer Pool
According to a report on Washington Post, China's colleges produce more than 450,000 engineering graduates annually, including 50,000 in computer science. By comparison, the United States turns out about 30,000 computer science graduates each year. Moreover, China's engineers are generally available for 10 to 20 percent of the cost of their American counterparts. 26
English
In recent years, the US influence on the Chinese culture has grown, and the typical graduate is not only well educated, but fluent in the English language and the US social norms. Today, over 20 million people are being trained in the English language, and all software is even packaged with both Mandarin and English labeling.27
IT Literacy Education 28
In 1996, the China Ministry of Education issued the five- year development program on compute education in primary and secondary schools (1996-200). There were requirements for at least 25 computers in every senior secondary school, 20 in every junior secondary school, and 15 in every primary school. Below is a table listing the percentage of schools that have met the requirements:
|
Region |
Senior secondary schools (%) |
Junior secondary schools (%) |
Primary schools (%) |
|
City |
80 |
60 |
15 |
|
County |
60 |
30 |
5 |
|
Country |
30 |
5 |
A few, no detailed requirements |
Source: http://www.nclis.gov/libinter/infolitconf&meet/papers/ma-fullpaper.pdf
In 1999, all the senior secondary schools and urban junior secondary schools were required to offer the compulsory course of information technology starting in 2001 (The junior secondary schools in developed regions from 2003, the other junior schools from 2005, the primary schools in cities and developed regions from 2005, the other primary schools from 2010). In addition, it stipulated that 68-136 hours should be spent on IT course in primary and junior secondary schools and at least 80% of the hours should be used for practice.
The end of 1999, almost 60 thousand primary, junior and senior secondary schools (an average of one third of each kind of school) had offered the information technology course. The number of computers had been doubled every two years, reaching one million. There had been nearly 70 thousand full-time and part-time computer teachers and over 30 million students every year in primary and secondary schools to accept IT education. Nearly three thousand schools constructed campus network.