COST OF EDUCATION DHS China Seminar – Day 17

And the Survey Says…  According to a 2006 survey, education in China eat up 1/3 of a families total income  Families in 8 big cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, were surveyed.  A family with one or more children studying in school or kindergarten spent an average 3,522 yuan (about US$440) on their education accounting for nearly a third of the household's annual income, the survey said.  Even though China's rural residents usually spend only half as much as their urban counterparts on kids' education, as a proportion of their income the cost is even steeper for them.  The survey also showed that about 85 percent of Chinese families choose to send their children to public schools rather than private ones, citing "low tuition fees" and "standardized teaching methods" as the major reasons.  The general public is concerned about high education costs in China, especially the relatively high college tuition fees of 5,000 yuan (about US$625) per year on average, well beyond the reach of most rural residents, who earn on average about 3,200 yuan a year.

Not Everything is Free  Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, tuition had been free.  In 1995, a decampment called “Decision of the Reform of Education System of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China” was issued, noting that those students who were not within the national planning number should pay some amount of the so-called training fee.  In 1989, another document called “Decision of requiring tuition and accommodation fee in the regular Higher Education Institutions” co- issued by the National Education Committee, Price Bureau and Ministry of Finance announced that students should pay tuition.  In 1993, “An outline of Chinese education reform and development” pointed out that “Higher Education is none-compulsory education in China. Principally, students should pay the tuition”

In less then 2 decades, the cost of higher education in China has increased drastically.

Cost of Higher Education in America  Annual undergraduate tuition varies widely from state to state, and many additional fees apply.  In 2009, average annual tuition at a public university (for residents of the state) was $7,020  The mean annual Total Cost (including all costs associated with a full-time post-secondary schooling, such as tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board), as reported by the Census Bureau for the school year 2001/2, according to the various college years was as follows:  College years 1 to 2: $9489 (per year)  College years 3 to 4: $11901 (per year)  Total, four year schooling: $42780  College years 5 or plus: $13669 (per year)  Vocational, technical, business or other: $7401 (per year)

Cost Increases in America  From 2002 to 2004 alone, tuition rates at public schools increased by just over 14%  A more moderate increase of 6 percent occurred over the same period for private schools. [  Between 1982 and 2007, college tuition and fees rose three times as fast as median family income, in constant dollars.

Discussion Questions  Because China is a communist country, should the government pay for the education of the 73 million students?  Who should be responsible for paying for higher education in America? The government or individuals?  Remember we have the opportunity for free education from K-5 to 12 th grade, but some choose to send their students to private school which they must pay for.

Sources  Survey: 08/22/content_ htm 08/22/content_ htm  n_China_AP97.pdf n_China_AP97.pdf  ed_States#Statistics