China News Service, Beijing, March 8 (Ren Jing) "The gold content of master's and doctoral degrees continues to decrease", "doctoral graduates are getting more and more difficult to graduate", "doctoral students are in their thirties, but they still have to ask their parents for living expenses"... …In recent years, there have been many voices on the Internet reflecting such situations involving postgraduates and postgraduates.
During the two sessions, many members made suggestions on the recruitment and training of master and doctoral students.
The water of the master and doctorate is getting bigger and bigger?
——Admission examination mode changed to application review system
In recent years, many colleges and universities have expanded the enrollment of postgraduates on a large scale.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, in 2021, there will be 3,332,400 postgraduate students, and a total of 1,176,500 postgraduate students nationwide.
Correspondingly, the test-taking and postgraduate entrance exams are taken as a single test. There is a lack of examination of the overall quality of the candidates, and the gold content of the master and doctoral programs has continued to decline.
Xu Jingkun, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, suggested that the current admissions method for postgraduate students is relatively simple, and it is still based on scores. Candidates applying for postgraduate students can only choose one school of their choice, which is extremely risky and unfair to candidates.
It is suggested to change the mode of the postgraduate admissions examination to the application review system, and apply for postgraduates based on comprehensive scores, imitating the doctoral admissions application review system, and one candidate can apply for postgraduate studies in several schools.
Data map: In the study room of a university library, candidates are intensively reviewing.
Photo by Liu Lixin
——Increase the proportion of recommended postgraduate students who are exempt from examinations
"Increase the proportion of recommended postgraduate students exempt from examination." Zeng Yong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, suggested.
Zeng Yong believes that from the point of view of the "exemption" work system, students who are recommended to be exempted from the test have undergone strict procedures, and a comprehensive assessment of academic performance, scientific research quality, and aspirations has been carried out, and high-quality graduate students have been "entranced".
Zeng Yong pointed out that further increasing the proportion of "exemption", especially the proportion of "exemption" in "double first-class" universities, can free more outstanding undergraduates from postgraduate entrance examinations and focus on the complete undergraduate learning process, especially Research-based learning, challenging learning and scientific research training improve the quality of undergraduate and postgraduate training.
- Reasonably set the annual enrollment plan for each tutor
Yi Jianqiang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, believes that there is still a lot of room for development in China's postgraduate enrollment scale.
"The current phenomenon is that those who can't bring it have to continue to complete the targets, and those who still have spare capacity have no enrollment targets."
Therefore, Yi Jianqiang suggested that the authority of postgraduate admissions indicators should be completely delegated to each admissions unit, select units with good quality of postgraduate training as pilots for independent enrollment expansion, and reasonably set up an annual admissions plan for each tutor; It is stipulated that each pilot unit in the eastern part of the country will allocate a part of the quota to recruit students from the western region every year; the postgraduate enrollment quota is put on record, and the admission is lenient and strict. Cancellation of their enrolment qualifications, etc.
Is it getting harder to get a PhD?
—— Implement flexible management on the graduation time of doctoral students
In recent years, doctoral students from colleges and universities have been dismissed from time to time because they exceeded the longest study period, and it has become a common phenomenon that doctoral students are difficult to graduate.
"Some doctoral students have difficult research topics, and their scientific research work is not only to complete a dissertation, but also to pioneer a certain research field. This kind of original and breakthrough scientific research work itself is full of challenges and uncertainties, and it is postponed. It is unavoidable." "There are also some doctoral students who are not focused enough on their studies and divert their energy to other matters, such as part-time jobs, work, family and childbirth, or lack of scientific research ability, which makes it difficult to complete their studies on time, leading to delays."
Luo Yongzhang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, believes that the delay of doctoral students can be divided into two categories: reasonable and unreasonable.
He suggested that flexible management should be implemented for the graduation time of doctoral students.
Follow the laws of scientific research, gain an in-depth understanding of the general research cycle in various research fields, and rationally formulate the doctoral study system to ensure that most students can graduate normally without delay.
At the same time, formulate a scientific extension management system, and strictly supervise doctoral students who do not concentrate on their studies or lack of scientific research ability by setting up qualification examinations, mid-term assessments and other methods to avoid unreasonable delays and eliminate them when necessary.
——The publication of academic papers by doctoral students should be decoupled from applying for degrees
Li Yusheng, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, pointed out that many doctoral students delayed their graduation because they did not publish papers in top journals.
"The requirement that doctoral students apply for a degree must publish a certain number of academic papers. In fact, the academic evaluation rights belonging to universities and scientific research institutions over doctoral students are handed over to journal editors. This has led to doctoral students paying more attention to the publication of academic papers, resulting in a lot of academic misconduct. Strange appearances and other negative consequences."
Li Yusheng suggested that the publication of academic papers by doctoral students should be decoupled from applying for a degree. Writing and publishing academic papers is only one of the means to improve the academic ability of doctoral students, not a prerequisite for applying for a degree.
Data map: A candidate is intensively reviewing, and his desk is full of various related books.
Photo by Liu Lixin
Studying the "poor three generations"?
——Adjust and improve the doctoral student award funding system
"Three generations of Ph.D. students are poor, and scientific research ruins their life." Although this sentence is a joke, it also expresses the bitterness of many doctoral students - less subsidies, low bonuses, and even living expenses from parents.
In this regard, Liu Changjun, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, suggested adjusting and improving the doctoral student award funding system, gradually cancelling the national scholarships for postgraduates, and generally improving the treatment of doctoral students, and strive to keep first-class talents in China for doctoral studies.
In order to meet the needs of current economic and social development, establish and improve the system of marriage and childbirth leave for doctoral students, and solve the worries related to talent development.
——Include graduate students in the protection of part-time employment system
In addition, in response to a number of incidents in which the rights and interests of postgraduate workers have been violated in some colleges and universities in recent years, the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the People's Republic of China suggested clarifying the status of postgraduate workers.
For postgraduates who are dispatched to employers or work in school laboratories that have economic relations with other units assigned by their supervisors, the legislation should clarify the subject status of postgraduate workers.
In addition, postgraduates are included in the protection of the part-time employment system, and the employer is legally compelled to sign a written agreement with postgraduates, linking the salary and benefits of employment with the content of the work, and determining the compensation items and standards for postgraduate work-related injury insurance.
What do you think about the situation of postgraduate students?
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