Who Will Hold Up Tomorrow's China - An Insight into the Hot Issues of Talent

Author: Wen Jinhai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Talent Drain Becomes Hidden Concern for Universities
In March 2005, at the National "Two Sessions," the president of Lanzhou University, Li Fashen, expressed deep concern, stating that in the past decade, the high-level talent lost by Lanzhou University could have founded another university of the same caliber. In western China, Lanzhou University is top-tier in both teaching quality and faculty level. However, in recent years, talent drain has posed unprecedented challenges to the university. Lanzhou University's case is not an isolated one; in recent years, talent drain has become a widespread phenomenon in China's universities. Central and western regions have been the hardest hit. Statistics show that during the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period, Shanxi Province's universities lost over 1,500 master's degree or higher-qualified personnel, equivalent to the faculty of two modern universities. Shanxi Normal University, one of Shanxi's five key universities with a long history of undergraduate education, has lost over 120 high-level talents with master's degrees or above in recent years, including 71 who left their positions and 51 who studied abroad and did not return. Among these departing talents, 35 held professional titles at the associate professor level or higher, 35 had doctorates, and 55 had master's degrees. In terms of age structure, 72 were under 35 when they left, 34 were between 35 and 45, and 10 were over 45. These talents spanned various fields, including foreign languages, computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, as well as humanities, philosophy, and history.
North China University of Technology, located in Taiyuan, also experienced a talent drain of over 160 people during the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period. In the past two decades, nearly 1,400 teachers from Shanxi's nearly 20 universities have left their institutions, with young teachers accounting for 70% of the total. The proportion of teachers with doctorates and master's degrees among those leaving has also been increasing year by year: 7.3% in 1991 and 50.6% in 1996, surpassing half. The destinations of these departing talents, with a few going abroad, are primarily the developed provinces and cities in the southeastern coastal regions, as well as some moving to central and western regions or within the province. The reasons for this talent drain are mostly related to compensation and working conditions, with a few exceptions due to work requirements or resolving spousal separation. Enterprises, universities, and research institutions in the southeastern coastal regions, which are more developed, compete fiercely for outstanding talents from central and western universities with high salaries and favorable working conditions, making talent drain a major issue for these institutions.
However, the situation in the eastern coastal regions is also grim. According to statistics from East China Jiaotong University, the number of teachers who left or resigned without notice (with lecturer status or higher) increased from 11 in 2001 to 19 in 2002. Although this number is still lower than the number of new hires, the increasing trend of talent loss is a significant concern for the university. Some universities have signed contracts with teachers to prevent talent drain. However, some teachers are indifferent to these agreements, preferring to "pay for freedom." In cases handled by East China Jiaotong University, the maximum penalty paid by teachers was only 80,000 yuan, a sum that is negligible for renowned professors. Some professors have frankly admitted, "We can earn this amount in just one year!" It is reported that in reality, many penalties are not