For many young people in China now, public universities are not the only place to get a higher education.

The increasing number of private colleges and universities springing up in the country offer an alternative path for the young to pursue a higher education and prepare themselves for a good career.

Over the past few decades, private higher education has become one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing segments of the country's education system.

"The private higher learning institutions are playing an increasingly important role in promoting the development of higher education in China," said Tao Xiping, vice-director of the China Education Association at a forum on the development of private education held in Beijing early this month.

Organized by Beijing Youth Daily and Beijing Science and Education Institute, the forum featured discussion on achievements and challenges in China's private higher education sector.

"In the coming few years, there would be a lot of room for the development of private higher education," said Wang Wenyuan, president of the Beijing Science and Education Institute.

It is conservatively estimated that the number of college students will reach 24.8 million in 2008. Due to the limited number of public schools, about 5 million of them will have to turn to private colleges and universities.

In response to emerging market demand, private colleges have undergone rapid development, creating more educational opportunities for the young.

Since the early 1990s, private colleges and universities have mushroomed all over the country, especially in such cities as Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

According to number breakdowns in 2002, there are over 1,300 institutions of higher learning run by private agencies. Of them 12 are private universities, each with more than 10,000 students.

About 39 percent of all college and university students nationwide are enrolled in such private institutions.

In Xi'an, a city with population of more than 7 million, there are nearly 40 private colleges with a total enrolment of 120,000 students from across the country.

One out of every 10 university students in Shanghai is now pursuing his or her studies at a private university in this metropolis known as the "breeding ground of China's intelligentsia."

In East China's Jiangsu Province, before the appearance of private colleges, less than 50 percent of high school graduates could go on to university. But now about 75 percent of them have the chance to receive higher education.

Advantages

Many experts believe that developing private colleges will not only increase opportunities for education, but also help to develop competitive standards in higher education, which will lay a solid foundation for China's future progress and development.

"On the one hand, they introduce competition into Chinese education circles, creating more opportunities for students; on the other, the participation in higher education of all levels of society has greatly reduced the government's burden in this area," Wang explained.

Because they must compete, many leaders of private colleges pay great attention to their school equipment, quality of teaching, and management.

Take Xi'an Translation College as an example.

Set up in 1987, it has now become one of the most prestigious private colleges in the country.

Ding Zuyi, principal of the college, attributes much of this success to modern equipment and the college's competitive curriculum.

Covering an area of 66.7 hectares, the college has teaching facilities that rank on par with or are better than those of many local public schools - multi-media lecture halls, language labs, computer centres, a 4,000-square-metre gymnasium, and a library with 1 million books.

Ding, who was once an English teacher at Xi'an Petroleum College, knew clearly that his college would face immense difficulties in competing with its public counterparts.

Ever since he first set up the college 16 years ago, he has striven to deliberately differentiate his college from State-funded higher education institutions by specializing in practical and market-driven courses.

As Ding stressed, the college is far more than just a language school. Besides teaching writing and speaking skills, the school offers about 30 majors including computer science , tourism, public relations, marketing and international trade.

"We design our courses according to the demand of the job market so that students can easily find jobs after graduation," explained Ding.

Because of the compatibility of the courses with market demand, graduates of the college are very competitive in the job market and their employment rate has been over 98 percent over the past 16 years, Ding claims

Through years of effort, the college has gradually built up its reputation and gained a solid foothold in the country.

Over 80 percent of newly enrolled students in the college have passed the national college entrance examination, and chosen to study in the college instead of a public higher education institution.

Challenges and future

However, most private institutions of higher learning have to face the harsh reality that public colleges and universities are still the first choice for the bulk of students, who turn to the private schools only as a last resort.

"Generally regarded as second-class to their public counterparts, private education institutes still have many difficulties and prejudices to overcome before they can further develop," Tao said.

In China the public higher education sector remains much larger than the private one in terms of enrolment numbers, and greater still in financial clout, given its predominance in extent of course offering, graduate programmes and research.

The private sector is much narrower in scope and purpose, with higher vocational education as its key offering.

The inadequate source of professional staff is another challenge private institutions have yet to deal with, Tao added.

Most of the private colleges and universities rely heavily on retired professors from public universities as their teaching staff.

At present, 50 private colleges are qualified to award diplomas of education recognized by the State and endorsed by the Ministry of Education and authorities of certain provinces. But 1,300 of them still do not have this right.

The Private Education Promotion Law, which will become effective on September 1 this year, will ensure equality between non-State schools and those funded by the government.

"The legal assurance of equal treatment pushes the idea that non-State schools should be seen as equal to State schools and given equal opportunities to develop," Tao said.

Leaders of private schools like Ding believe that the growing education market and government support will greatly promote the development of private higher education.

"Private colleges are playing a significant role in deepening educational reform, gearing tomorrow's workers to the market economy, relieving the tension generated by the college entrance examination, and improving the training of professional personnel. They therefore have a bright future," Ding said.