Qu Zhenyuan, director of the ministry's Department for College Students' Affairs, claims China is working towards a more inclusive higher education system, but that the long-standing system of national unified college entrance examinations is still necessary for choosing elites due to the shortage of educational resources.

It is difficult to say whether China will adopt flexible regional systems for college entrance examinations within the next few years, he said.

China is not alone in grappling with the issue of entrance exams.

Some Asian countries, for example, hesitate on the shifting from unified examination system to diversified modes, according to Qu.

But providing lifelong, diversified educational opportunities for people at different ages is an important long-term task, he added.

While the question of entrance exams remains unanswered, China's colleges and universities have been making large changes in campus life, allowing private operators to become involved in services like food and housing.

For quite a long time in China, students' dormitories and dining halls were run and administrated by colleges and universities themselves. But with the expansion of recruitment, some universities have been unable to provide sufficient room and board for a growing student body.

Starting in 1999, the Ministry of Education called on colleges and universities to open accommodation services to off-campus providers as long as students' safety and security could be maintained.

A number of universities have responded to the ministry's suggestion.

At Hunan University in Central China's Hunan Province, for example, rows of new apartments for teachers and students, with spacious rooms and cleaner toilets, have sprung up. The funds for building these new apartments were either granted by big companies or loaned at a lower interest from banks.

Teachers and students are required to pay what they can afford in rent for the dormitories each year and there are different types of dorms to reflect the different economic levels of those who need housing.

(China Daily 07/09/2001)