The graduates were selected from among 80 nominees out of 321 candidates from 86 eminent private universities.

The ceremony was sponsored jointly by China Youth Daily and the information consultancy and employment agencies under the Ministry of Education and the school run by Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) Central Committee.

"It's a pity when people fail to enroll at prestigious universities, but they can also excel themselves through studies at private universities and colleges," said Ning Min, who gained an award for his outstanding achievements as an assistant to the chairman of the Legend Group, one of China's telecommunications giants.

Furthermore, he added, "private universities and colleges are even better for us to adhere to 'never giving-up' traits, which spur us on to keep improving ourselves and become better still."

Although China, with a vast population of 1.3 billion, has thousands of public universities and colleges, its government has encouraged participation of private sectors in education over the two decades since the early 1980s. These private universities and colleges have enabled a growing number of young people to access higher education.

As compared with public institutions of higher learning, private universities and colleges are more flexible in setting majors, management and adapting to society's needs. According to official figures, China's private universities and colleges have grown in scale over recent years, and the 12 most eminent ones boasts a student body of more than 10,000 each. But they are still facing numerous problems concerning finance, management and policy support.

As part of the nationwide effort to promote private education, this annual award is aimed to prompt these private institutions of higher learning to take job markets into account so as to help increase their students' confidence. The award also provides an opportunity for society to learn more about private education.

(Xinhua News Agency August 20, 2002)