Most officials in China must not only have tried-and-true capabilities, but also be well educated. But educational background seems to have taken a back seat to experience with the recent appointments of high-ranking officials with less prominent academic backgrounds.

Jiang Hongkun, former mayor of Jiangsu's provincial capital of Nanjing, was appointed on Tuesday as the Party secretary of Suzhou, the most prosperous city within the province. But Jiang's educational background - an on-the-job junior college diploma - offers a sharp contrast to his three predecessors, all with doctoral degrees.

He is not alone. Jiang Liang, who was appointed director of Shanghai's Pudong District early this month, is also an on-the-job junior college diploma holder.

The most striking example came from Zhang Ping, now director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), who only holds a vocational degree.

In contrast, in 2006, 11 provincial committee secretaries of the Communist Party of China (CPC) had at least master's degrees. At the time, that educational level was much more than officials had in the past and was proof of a general improvement in Chinese officials' educational backgrounds.

The proportion is expected to grow as China enhances its educational opportunities as well as people's rising awareness on self-improvement, political scientists say.

"The nomination of officials in China in recent years has been indicative of the growing emphasis upon educational background, which is after all part of the holders' competence," said Zhuo Zeyuan, a political law professor for the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

"But that does not mean education alone would serve as the single criterion for officials to prove their capabilities. Other factors like trust and support from the people would also be considered. China's political system does allow flexibility on that," he said.

Yu Hai, a sociologist from Fudan University, said Jiang and Zhang are just rare cases. "For the majority of Chinese officials, having a higher degree is still a necessary stepping-stone to get higher positions," he said.

Educational institutions are sometimes guilty of selling diplomas to government officials, he said.

One example is Li Yuanjiang, former director of the publicity department of Guangdong province, who obtained his master's degree through bribing his supervisor in 2002.

Many netizens have showered people like Zhang with rave reviews for their honesty in acknowledging their lower-than-expected academic background.

(China Daily August 22, 2009)