In fact, only half of the existing 300 joint venture institutes have been granted licenses while the others may be forced to shut down if they fail to prove they are qualified.

The approved list of institutes ranges from kindergartens to graduate school programs in both degree and non-degree education.

"The re-evaluation campaign aims at differentiating the qualified programs from fly-by-night operations, in an attempt to ensure teaching quality and protect the students," said Zhang Changhai, a commission official.

The commission revealed that the trend for joint educational programs in Shanghai began in the early 1990's. According to the national Education Law, foreign institutes can only launch courses in concert with local peers.

"At first, many Chinese assumed that the Western programs were better than local ones. There was a huge demand," said Xu Guangxing of East China Normal University.

According to the commission, the surging market demand has led to new programs being launched thick and fast over the past decade. In 1991, there were just two joint programs in the city but last year alone 50 more were added.

Not surprisingly, the commission found that many unscrupulous operators had joined the bandwagon, offering mediocre courses with unqualified foreigners on the teaching staff.

"I opted for a two-year junior college business diploma because I failed in the college entrance exam. But except for the language advantage, I don't think my foreign teachers are as experienced as the program claimed," said a student at Aojie International Education Co., which hasn't been accredited.

She now regrets her choice, saying, "More fair overseas education resources will be accessible now that the country has joined the World Trade Organization."

The Ministry of Education started revising the 1995 regulation on Sino-foreign educational ventures in December last year, adding new items in response to the WTO entry.

(eastday.com May 14, 2002)