Outward Student Migration in China

Outward student migration in China by Rachel Freeman and Emily Temkin

Brief History of China

http://www.countryreports.org/country/China.htm

China is home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Historians have traced the origins of its people back to at least 10,000 BC, but some suspect their roots stretch even further into the past. This expansive period of time is primarily categorized by various dynasties. The Shang and Zhou dynasties are considered formative times in which bronze-working was developed, the wheel was invented, and philosophical thinking was introduced. However, the first unified China only came during the consecutive Qin Dynasty, in third century BC. Through the thousands of years that followed, China faced periods of unity and division. It traversed through the Tang Dynasty, a time when they were thought to be the most advanced civilization, and additionally developed the philosophical thinking known as Confucianism. The Qing Dynasty was the last to stand before China became a republic in 1912. Communism then developed, industry nationalized, and modern China emerged. With the introduction of a market economy in the late 20th century, China had rapid growth and is now predicted to be the world’s largest economy by 2040.

Education in China

http://wenr.wes.org/2016/03/education-in-china-2

This extensive history also includes a long-running education system. Scholars date the beginning of education in China to be between 206 BC and 220 CE. Today, China has the largest education system in the world. This system can be divided into three major parts: primary school (age 6-12), junior secondary school (age 12-15), and senior secondary school (age 15-18). Due to a compulsory education law passed in 1986, all Chinese children are required to go to school for a minimum of 9 years, from age 6 to 15. If a student passes a senior high school entrance examination after this, they may continue to study in either a general or vocational secondary school.

The curriculum of these institutions is predominantly outlined on a national level by the Ministry of Education. Instruction typically occurs in Mandarin, but the local language is used if a school has a large ethnic minority population. Primary schools tend to focus more on general education, including classes such as moral education, Chinese language, and arts. Third grade introduces innovative research and the English language as new topics of learning. The junior secondary schools maintain teaching of general education while also incorporating more subject classes. This includes history, sciences, and a dedicated foreign language class chosen by the school from either English, Japanese, or Russian. The following senior secondary schools are split into two different categories, regular and vocational. Enrollment in regular high schools accounts for 56.2 percent of senior secondary students. At these schools, they continue taking a variety of required subjects and before 11th grade students choose to be in either an art or science stream. At vocational high schools, there is a 4:6 ratio of academic subjects to specialty courses. A student is allowed much more attention to their career interest and is even provided with an internship that lasts for approximately a semester.

What is Outward Student Migration?

http://www.citylab.com/politics/2014/04/2-very-different-migrations-driving-growth-us-cities/8873/

Outward migration is when people leave their native country to enter another country. This could be for several reasons including investments, professional and student migration, and illegal migration (Chung, 2016). Outward migration started in Asia goes back as far as to the colonial period. Outward student migration is the leaving of one’s home country to enter another country for the purpose of receiving education, and one third of these students relocate to either the United States or the United Kingdom. The map to the right shows where migrants entering who are entering the United States from another country tend to reside. The map shows that New York is the most popular destination for migrants. In 2000, the number of foreign students was 1.8 million and doubled to 3.3 million in 2008. This is projected to increase to upwards of 6.7 million students in 2020. China and India are the major source countries sending students abroad to study. As the Table 1 shows, China has more than double the number of students studying in another country than any other nation. In the United States, 31% of all PhD recipients in 2006 were foreign students.

Outward Migration in China

China is the worlds most populated country. China is also the fourth ranked country of emigrants. As of 2010, 8.3 million people who were born in China are living elsewhere. Note that that 8.3 million people includes 3 million internal migrants, who were born in China but now live in Hong Kong and Macao. Southern coastal provinces have the most emigrates within China. Chinese migration is broken down into two categories: old migration which went until the end of the 19th century and new migration that started in the 1980s. During the old migration period, many Chinese migrants stayed within Asia and mostly relocated in Southeast Asia. The people migrating during this time were mostly men who moved to work as indentured laborers. Whereas, in new migration most Chinese migrants relocate overseas, often to English speaking countries like the United States, Canada and Australia. Reasons for migration during the new migration period were often to take advantage of opportunities that existed overseas. Another reason that people opt to relocate in new migration is because of the environmental pollution in China. Unlike during old migration, both men and women are equally represented in the number of migrants. In current times, the migrants who head to Europe tend to go for low-order services, trading, and manufacturing jobs and these migrants are thought to be less skilled than those migrants relocating to North America. At the start of this new migration period, the majority of Chinese migrants were between 20-29. However, currently, most Chinese migrants are 15-24. This is because many Chinese migrants are leaving China for college, and high school to prepare for college.

Outward Student Migration in China

Deng Xiaoping, a Chinese leader at the time, decided to send 3,000 students from China to another country for education in 1978. He did this for a few years, and by 1997 only 32% of the 293,000 students who went overseas during this time returned. His actions are thought to have promoted a culture of outward student migration of Chinese students. China was the main source of international students in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan and New Zealand in 2009. In speaking with Lin Zhao, a Chinese student studying at Syracuse University, she says that one of the hardest parts about being a foreign student studying in the states is homesickness; less than 30% of migrant students see their parents each year.

Although the majority of Chinese migrant students leave China for college or university, recently there has been an influx of students migrating as early as junior high, specifically within the United States. As the US’s middle class grows, college acceptances have become increasingly more competitive. As a result, many Chinese students come to the United States to become a more competitive applicant for American colleges. In 2005, Chinese students were 2.3% of international students in the U.S. secondary school system, and in 2015, this number has increased to 50%. This has lowered the average age of Chinese immigrants within the United States. The increase of Chinese students in high schools is most prevalent in New England private schools because there is a hub of private schools. Elite schools boarding schools have noticed this increase and are now limiting the number of Chinese students they accept. However not all schools do that; many day schools need money and accept Chinese students as they are full paying students. This is also the case with many colleges; many universities recruit Chinese students because they pay full tuition. This is why many institutions “very aggressively recruit [Chinese] Students”.  Besides US recruitment of Chinese students, many Chinese students would prefer to study in the United States as the Chinese educational system is extremely competitive and stressful for students. The majority of Chinese graduate students in America had also attended an American university for their undergraduate degree.

Of the Chinese graduate students who studied overseas between 1985 and 1999, only one third returned to China after their studies. A reason so few return to China is because the post-doctoral fellowships offered by many U.S. universities keep students in the states. Another reason many people decide not to return is because they think the work setting in China is subpar to other areas because of bad research facilities and low salaries. Additionally, women are more likely than men to not return. Since so few student migrants return to China, some Chinese cities began to offer incentives for students to return to their native city. Students who plan on pursuing a career that is not research and academics post completion of their graduate degree have a 90% likelihood on staying within the United States. However, students who plan on continuing on with academic and research are more likely to return to their home country; they believe they will be treated better from their colleagues at home.