Academics told Chinanews.com last month that it is important that universities implement a regulation change preventing them from forbidding students from marrying.

Li Jiahua, vice president of China Youth University for Political Science, told the website on September 22 that students are familiar with the change and colleges must implement it firmly.

He said getting married is a student's legal right, but their priority should still be their studies.

The Ministry of Education announced March 29 the revised Regulation of Management on University and College Students and it was effective from September 1. As long as no other law is being broken, students can now marry without their university's permission.

Wang Jian, professor at Shaanxi Normal University's Law Department, said the ministry's old ban on students' marrying conflicted with Marriage Law, which is a national one so takes priority, and added that it was especially important since the limit on college students' school age, previously set at 25, was removed in 2001.

Wang Zhenyu, deputy director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Family Sociology Institute, viewed student marriage as a double-edged sword, and that although it has been permitted only a few have chosen to do it.

Zhang Anqiu, a Shandong University professor, told Chinanews.com that only three students in his school have got married since the ban was lifted.

"Numerous difficulties and uncertainties can influence the stability of student marriage, for example, staying in the same city in the future, job problems and financial independence," said Xu Tianmin, professor at Peking University's Medicine Department.

Despite this, Xu welcomed the greater freedom for students in this area.

(China.org.cn by Wang Ke, October 12, 2005)