Students were warned Friday by China's Ministry of Education that they required to be cautious in their selection of schools if they wished to study abroad.

 

"Some of the foreign schools can't provide quality teaching programs," an unnamed official said. The official urged students to choose reputable and well-recognized educational institutions.

 

The official said some countries were very active in recruiting new students but unable to provide good teaching. "Newly established foreign private schools frequently go bankrupt," the official said.

 

More than 100,000 Chinese have left to study abroad annually since 2002, ministry statistics show. Last year 118,500 Chinese went abroad to study. Of this figure 106,500 did so at their own expense.

 

The official also advised students to carefully choose agencies when applying for foreign schools and visas. "Some profit-driven agencies cheat students by releasing fake information."

 

Almost half of the self-funded Chinese students resort to agencies to enroll in foreign universities, surveys show.

 

The ministry has recommended 15,000 universities and schools in 33 countries since 2003. It also regularly releases "blacklists" warning students against suspect or disreputable schools and agencies.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2006)