Insight Desk

　　"Upgrading capital first" is a "double-edged sword"

　　In recent days, the results of the college entrance examination have been released one after another.

Candidates are happy and sad, and they have a certain taste in their hearts; and as an admissions school, it is not easy for higher vocational colleges in the final batch of admissions.

In order to enhance the attractiveness of admissions, recruit candidates with excellent grades to apply for the exam, and improve the structure and quality of student sources, many higher vocational colleges have demonstrated their magic powers, and have made great efforts in admissions promotion.

In addition to the official admission information announced by the regular admissions department, the school's official account, Weibo, Douyin, official website and other financial media have all participated in the war, which can be described as very lively.

　　The reason why the enrollment promotion of higher vocational colleges is so "earth-shattering" reflects from one aspect that the current social recognition and attractiveness of higher vocational education is still not optimistic.

Due to the pressure of reality, many schools have to make great efforts to carry out publicity, and the content of the display covers the school site location, campus environment, school honor, teaching staff, training conditions, food and accommodation, employment opportunities, etc. Approved.

　　What is different from previous years is that this year, the publicity focus of many colleges and universities has shifted from the previous "hardware" show to today's "software" display, and invariably regard the "upgrading" of students as the top priority and core competitiveness.

Some schools openly claimed that the "upgrading rate" exceeds 60%, in order to notify the society and convey comfort to parents, so that students in higher vocational schools can also be "upgraded" smoothly.

Although some people in the industry have compared the total number of freshmen admitted to the school that year with the number of "upgraded students" this year, they infer that the school's so-called "upgrading rate" is just the "admission rate", however, the actual "upgrading" ratio is as high as 1/3 , has to be impressive.

　　Moreover, it is not the "promotion rate" itself that needs to be looked at with admiration, but the higher vocational education target positioning, educational purpose and school-running orientation hidden behind it.

The newly revised Vocational Education Law reconstructs the modern vocational education system and defines the orientation of vocational education at different levels. Equal emphasis on further education”, so that the further education of secondary vocational schools can justifiably go from “underground” to “front stage”; the same problem is postponed to higher vocational colleges, which is reflected in the school’s excessive coincidence with the needs of parents and the desire for students to “upgrade” There is a special liking, even openly, to encourage students to "upgrade" as the top priority of the school's work, as the selling point and highlight of the school's external publicity.

　　Objectively speaking, the reason why higher vocational colleges are keen to "upgrade" can be attributed to "last resort".

Schools (especially "double-high schools") need to develop their careers and improve their school-running level; the quality of students' employment needs to be improved, and they must break through the bottom line of undergraduate education for high-quality job recruitment in order to win admission tickets for the future; regional industrial transformation To upgrade, there is an urgent need for high-skilled talents who receive higher-level vocational education.

　　However, although higher vocational colleges are justifiable to pursue "upgrading", the "upgrading first" in actual operation is also a "double-edged sword".

While satisfying the interests and practical needs of all parties, it also has a negative impact on the healthy development of higher vocational education in our country.

　　Not long ago, when a vocational and technical university announced that the "first batch of vocational education undergraduates in the country" who had "obtained a bachelor's degree" had successfully graduated, and were booked in advance by employers and sold out, some people questioned that the school had long since not. How many graduates need employment, and the ratio of job demand in the past two years has exceeded 10:1.

The supporting materials it provides are that the school enrolls more than 2,600 full-time students every year, and more than 1,800 people, and excluding about 300 people who are "not in a hurry to find employment", in the end, only about 500 people (including some students who failed to graduate as scheduled) need to look for jobs.

　　Some people may think from this that Dazan vocational colleges are now so arrogant that they can finally "employment arrangements without asking for help".

However, if we talk to enterprises and think from the perspective of enterprises, when enterprises cannot obtain the necessary supply of high-skilled talents from higher vocational colleges, how can the road of school-enterprise cooperation be smooth and lasting in the future?

And if the support and participation of enterprises is lost, how can the high quality of vocational education personnel training be guaranteed?

This is an important strategic issue for the sound development of vocational education.

　　Such unfounded worries are not meant to pour cold water on the "advancement craze" and "advanced education craze" in higher vocational colleges, nor are they intended to be a blow to the aspiring young people who are actively seeking to make progress, but just want to remind: "Upgrading to the top" is actually a "double-edged sword". Sword", we need to treat it carefully and rationally.

　　At the school level, we must not be short-sighted and drink poison to quench thirst, but must stick to our original aspirations and maintain our true colors, and regard high-quality development of vocational education as a lifelong mission; and for the majority of students, we must scientifically guide them to recognize their own strengths and rationally choose channels for growth.

　　(The author is the deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Suzhou Industrial Park Vocational and Technical College)

　　Wang Shoubin Source: China Youth Daily