Thinking About The Formation And Development Of The Independent Institute

During the mass and the popularization of higher education, countriesin the world have faced or are facing the contradiction that the limitedsupply of higher education (especially the supply of high-qualityeducational resources) can not satisfy the vigorous requirements of highereducation, people simultaneously try to solve the problem by the pluralismof school-running subjects; China is also in this case. Since 1980s, we haveaccelerated the reformation of public universities; meanwhile we havedeveloped non-governmental universities in a more cost-effective manner,which breaks up the long time situation of "the authority of running schoolsonly to the government, but not to the public ". Especially in recent years,people have boldly probed on the system of running a school, except somepublic and private universities, they set up some universities and colleges ofthe mixing type of property right, among which independent institute is justa rising new star. This paper tries to make higher education policy tendencydistinct, probe into the objective of setting up independent institutes, clarifysome mistake realizations towards independent institutes in society andclear away roadblocks for further development of independent institutethrough combing to independent institute's development course.This paper is made in four parts:The first part analyzes the background that the school-running mode ofindependent institute emerges, reviews the whole process that State-ownedand Non-government founded secondary college production, developmentand its evolution into independent institute, and summarizes the leadingmode of present independent institute.The pluralism of capital market is realized through success ofeconomic system innovation, non-governmental capital is effectivelyaccumulated; the longing for talents in many aspects and wealthy people'sdiversified requirements towards higher education in transformationalperiod in our country; the dilemma that poor country runs education greatlywith limited investments; public universities come across bottlenecks in itsexpand, non-governmental universities have its weak points, these factscause independent institute to appear vigorously.The predecessor of independent institute is State-owned andNon-government founded secondary college, which dates back toInternational Institute set up by Tianjin Normal University in the early yearsof 1990s. When it was around 1999, this school-running mode waspopularized quickly, which developed into a fresh combatant that cannot beignored, which absorbed students in course of popularization. However, while itshowed its incomparable superiority, its many problems are disputed widely. In April2003, after they consciously researched the conditions, Ministry of Education issuedNo.8 file (2003) in which they praised the positive effect that State-owned andNon-government founded secondary colleges enlarged higher education scaleand enriched higher educational resources, meanwhile they proposed some regulationsin the practice of running school; then they named the secondary college "independentinstitute"after new regulations. After that, the existent over 300 State-owned andNon-government founded secondary colleges at that time had been re-applicatedand re-cleared; in 2004, 148 universities had been admitted to become independentinstitute formally for the first time, which symbolized the completion of transformingState-owned and Non-government founded secondary college to independentinstitute. By the end of 2004 , 222 independent institutes had been established.According to the difference of investment channel and cooperation manner,independent institute is mainly divided into four basic modes: namelyschool-enterprise mode, school-government-enterprise mode, school-governmentmode and Sino-foreign mode.The second part analyses essential differences of State-owned andNon-government founded secondary college and independent institute and seeclearly higher education policy changes of our country by evolution of the above two.The essential differences of State-owned and Non-government foundedsecondary college and independent institute are as follows: first, they have differentlegal person positions: the legal person's position of the former is vague, which isequal to state-own second institute attached to public universities; but the latter one isan independent legal person that can take responsibilities of civil affairs completely.Second, they have different ownership: the character of former one's "state owned,non-governmental"makes ownership ambiguous; the latter one is owned by theapplicant and the cooperator. Third, the principles of running school are different: theformer one only have "four independent"; the latter one strictly abides by "sevenindependent". Therefore, I think the evolution from State-owned andNon-government founded secondary college to independent institute shows thestrategic changes of our higher education from intension type to epitaxy type, and themanner changes from the mode of "state-run people help"to the mode of "people-runstate help". This transformation is a breakthrough try in system of school-running.The third part puts out relevant policies on the main problems of presentindependent institute.As a new mode of school-running, in order to have its own place in fierce highereducation market, independent institute must do: first, it should have reasonablepositioning in school-running objective, subject choosing, cultivating objective and soon; it should have its striking characteristics; second, it should consider both publicbenefits and profit-generation, have its development in the long run with excellentteaching qualities; third, it should perfect public management structure, coordinaterelationships between parties, strengthen competitive abilities. In addition, our countryhas responsibilities and duties to perfect legal regulations and create a preferableatmosphere for independent institute by managing and teaching in accordance with thelaw.The fourth part makes comments on three opinions of independent institute'sfuture development on basis of making clear two problems and makes a conclusionfinally.Two problems on independent institute's future that must be solved are: isindependent institute a makeshift of our higher education development or an evitablechoice that higher education adapts market? Is the supplement of independent institutea whole quantity requirement or a structural requirement? And I make conclusions byanalyzing: independent institute provides the best method of higher educationresources arrangement, it can not only satisfy higher education requirements of allwalks of life effectively, but also accelerate non-governmental higher education in ourcountry; it can alleviate the out-of-balance state of public and non-governmental highereducation, at the same time it plugs the gap of the school-running system of our highereducation. It is the requirement of our higher education quantity; it is also therequirement of our higher education structure, independent institute is an "inevitable"choice in our primary stage of socialism.By analyzing three opinions on independent institute, namely "theory on itsreturn", "theory of complete non-governmental", "theory of long existing", I point outthe former two opinions are basically the same, which are constrained by traditionalconcepts that independent institute is a short-time act in a special time and specialcondition of our country. Only the third opinion is really about the school-running...