In response to the new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation, local colleges are actively optimizing and adjusting their academic structures. The "General Higher Education Discipline and Specialty Setting Adjustment and Optimization Reform Plan," released in February 2023, proposes that by 2025, about 20% of college disciplines and specialties will be optimized and adjusted, with new ones established to adapt to new technologies, industries, business formats, and models. Many provinces have subsequently introduced policies to adjust their academic and specialty structures to serve the development of emerging industries.
Yuan Liang, a National People's Congress (NPC) representative and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, found through research that by the end of 2023, there were a total of 3,072 higher education institutions in China, with 1,161 being local undergraduate institutions. Based on a conservative estimate of a 20% optimization and adjustment in the number of majors set by each local undergraduate institution (with 50 majors each), it is projected that by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan, approximately 10,000 majors aligned with new industries will be adjusted, leading to a conservative estimate of over 1.2 million additional students. The structure and quality of academic disciplines directly impact the effectiveness of moral education in higher education and the ability to serve the high-quality development of the economy and society.
According to preliminary calculations based on the ratio of professional teachers to students, it is estimated that by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan, more than 24,000 professional teachers will need to be added to meet the needs of new industry development.
"To address the shortage of teachers for new industries, local universities have been continuously promoting reforms in key areas such as personnel management systems and performance-based salary distribution. However, the tension between supply and demand cannot be effectively resolved. For local universities, especially those located in non-provincial capitals and underdeveloped areas, challenges such as difficulty in recruitment, cultivation, and retention of specialized teachers for new industry development still exist and urgently require increased investment in teacher workforce development," said Yuan Liang in an interview during the National Two Sessions.
Yuan Liang put forward the following suggestions:
Support the introduction of high-end talents in central and western provinces, increase special funds for the cultivation of talents in new industries in local universities, and strengthen the guarantee of talent systems. Governments at all levels should establish special funds for the cultivation of talents in new industries, accelerate the construction of high-level teaching staff in universities for new industries, and provide further support to local universities in central and western provinces in terms of talent introduction policies, staffing guarantees, title promotion, and compensation benefits. It is essential to establish a system and mechanism to guide the construction of specialized and high-level teacher teams in local universities.
Promote the tilt of high-end innovation platforms and major scientific and technological projects in the new industry field towards local universities in central and western provinces, and establish a precise assistance mechanism for teacher training. Governments at all levels should support local universities in central and western provinces in cultivating high-level talents, technological leaders, and overseas talents in the new industry field through large platforms and projects. Further improvements should be made to the system mechanism for post-doctoral research, teachers' corporate secondment, and curriculum or project training in local universities. Strengthen the support of top domestic universities for local universities owned by provinces to enhance the quality and connotation of the construction of teacher teams for new industries.
Support high-level local universities specializing in science and engineering to take the lead and serve as demonstration bases for the cultivation of new industry teaching staff. Each province should select 1-2 high-level local universities specializing in science and engineering with a high degree of alignment with national strategies and local needs. Establish approximately 50 demonstration bases for the cultivation of high-level teaching staff for new industries, allocate special funds for talent introduction, and formulate specific talent introduction policies. Provide key support in terms of platforms, projects, etc., to expedite the training and growth of teacher teams for new industries in local universities.
