The graduate recruitment expansion in Chinese universities has led to a "professor crunch" with "overloaded" teaching staff and bewildered students.

The ratio of professors to graduates in east China's Jiangsu Province, which is traditionally known for its abundant talent, stood at 1:7.74 in 2003, figures from the local education authority show.

Teachers of highly desired majors may actually supervise 20 to 30 students.

And enrollment is still expanding. China will see 330,000 new graduates in 2004, up 22 percent from last year.

Critics compare the teacher-student ratio to a teapot and cups, doubting whether one pot of tea can fill up to 30 cups.

Students complain they can only meet with their supervisors once every two or three weeks, with the cry, "No tutoring received, only dissertation demanded".

"I've no idea about the orientation of my program. I've no idea how to apply the theory I have learned. I've no idea what job I can take after graduation," said a graduate identified as Zhang in a Jiangsu-based University.

Most of Zhang's predecessors in his program continued their studies in doctoral programs, or post-doctoral programs. "It seems to be the only way out," he said.

Professors responded that the practice was "totally messed up".

With limited time and overwhelming tasks, they are unable to give graduates one-to-one tuition, raising concerns of a "production line" system producing less competent graduates.

Ma Yuqian, a physics professor at Nanjing University, said he was "obliged" to focus on the few who showed the greatest enthusiasm in lab research, while devoting less attention to others. "It can't be helped."

The practice, however, is welcomed by some college teachers, who find it a fast-track to becoming graduate supervisors, but with actually insufficient academic background, as the number of professors fail to keep up with the increasing number of students.

Others who hailed the practice are professors who use graduates as "cheap labor" in their money-making projects. They complain that they still have potential to "supervise" more.

"Boss" has replaced "instructor" in the way students speak of teachers.

In January, nine doctoral students in a Shanghai-based university demanded a change in their supervisor who ran a company and had long ordered them to do projects for him.

Education experts worry that the teaching shortage may lead professors to be scattered disproportionately across the country, as nationwide competition for quality professors heats up, with the booming eastern China proving to be more attractive than less developed areas.

To retain professors, a university in west China, where the economy is less developed, has proposed a full package with teaching post, including a house, car, decent salary, advanced professional title, children's education and a job for the spouse.

Xu Zimin, director of the graduate division of Jiangsu education department, proposed that universities should promote the sharing of resources and draw resources from society.

Meanwhile China should seek new ways to educate graduates, dividing the graduate program into academic and professional tracks.

He held that the traditional "one-to-one instruction" may be applied to graduates on the academic track, while the group project and teamwork strategy would be used with graduates wanting to use their qualifications professionally.

(Xinhua News Agency February 4, 2004)