Issues in the expansion of higher education in the people's republic of China

The current expansion of higher education in the People's Republic of China is unprecedented in magnitude. This paper explores some of the issues that have arisen in a situation of rapid growth and numerical expansion in enrolments that is incomparably greater than historical experience elsewhere. After a review of higher education development plans and recent achievements, this paper focuses its discussion on faculty and staff demand, faculty quality, labour market implications, expansion strategies, equity and other expansion issues. The discussion suggests areas that might be explored in a way to encourage maximization of effectiveness of available resources, a challenge that is especially acute when ambitious plans for expansion are proposed.