China's higher education policy reform in practice: rejuvenating rural development studies

The Ministry of Education is currently implementing an ambitious and wide-ranging policy reform process to respond to rapid changing societal demands. The policy covers the establishment of academic specialties, reform of the mode of student training, strengthening teaching management, strengthening character education in universities, reform in the teaching of English, and adjustment of curricula. Based on our own involvement in a change process underway at a number of agricultural universities in the country, we assess the feasibility of implementing the policy (reform) directions in practice, highlighting achievements to date and emerging challenges. We conclude that overall the new policy provides a supportive macro- framework for our reform initiative, but that a number of challenges and difficulties at the meso-level stand in the way of a more effective and efficient delivery process. We make some suggestions for how to deal with these "roadblocks." Introduction: new roles for higher education "Based on the contacts with the local farmers in Guangxi, I think we have become more mature, what is more, we have learned a lot of useful and meaningful knowledge from the farmers and government officers, which is very important for our future study." CAU/COHD MSc student, Beijing, March, 2006 In his recent book (2006), Zhou Ji, China's current Minister of Education (MoE), describes in some detail how he/the MoE envisions the role of higher education in the rapidly changing country. He makes a coherent and strong argument for education renewal in order to meet today and tomorrow's demands of socio-economic development. In chapter 3, perhaps the key chapter of the book, entitled Quality guarantee, he summarizes recent policies along a number of major components: the establishment of academic specialties, the reform of the mode of student training, strengthening teaching management, strengthening character education in universities, reform in the teaching of English, and adjustment of curricula (ibid: 85-115). He pays special attention to what could be called the inputs required to adequately deliver these policy components. He also identifies the desired achievements; what could be called performance criteria. Taken together, these components make up the core of the new education policy, with a very clear "push" for major changes in higher education affairs, from the more macro to the more micro levels. In this article we present and reflect on a higher education reform initiative underway in the light of some of the main policy directions set by the MoE as described in Minister Zhou Ji's book. Using this initiative as a "learning by doing" or action-learning case study, we assess the feasibility of implementing the policy (reform) directions in practice, highlighting achievements to date and emerging challenges. We conclude that overall the new policy provides a supportive macro-framework for our reform initiative, but that a number of challenges and difficulties at the meso-level (i.e., at the level of the organizations that make up the higher education system) stand in the way of a more effective and efficient delivery process. We make some suggestions for how to deal with these "roadblocks." Our findings and reflections are based on direct involvement in the reform initiative described here, from its inception to the ongoing monitoring activities. This article is structured as follows. We first summarize the main elements of the higher education policy reform. This is followed by a brief description of our reform efforts underway at China Agricultural University (CAU) and Jilin Agricultural University (JLAU). We conclude with a reflection on our practice in the context of the reform policy intent. We provide some suggestions for next steps and recommendations for those who would like to follow in our footsteps.