China¡¯s higher education sector is expected to benefit as the government rolls out its 14th Five-Year Plan (FYP) during a Communist Party plenum this week.

The policy, which will determine the direction the country takes post-pandemic, from 2021 to 2025, is likely to include greater investments in science, technology, innovation and research-industry ties. ?It also aims to combat major global problems such as climate change.

The main concept behind the FYP, called ¡°dual circulation¡±, involves building up domestic institutions while maintaining international links, giving Beijing flexibility to navigate a post-pandemic future amid foreign tensions and rising overseas Covid infections.

Experts?suggested that the plan provides a good opportunity for the?higher education sector to shift to more flexible, modern and innovative management styles.

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Youmin Xi, executive president?of Xi¡¯an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, told Times Higher Education that the FYP showed that China now has two mechanisms for governance: one that is authoritative and top-down, and another which is more market-driven. ?

Professor Xi felt that this was a chance for the education sector ¡°to change mechanisms and to reform governance systems.¡±

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¡°This is a critical plan for medium- and long-term development, and will have an impact on the HE sector, which will play an important role,¡± he said.

He expected more state funding for HE, but said that those additional resources should be used wisely.

¡°Based on the FYP, the government is keen to push research based on industry and social demand,¡± Professor Xi said. ¡°However, for long-term development, basic research is still needed. We also need to cultivate the interest and curiosity of our teachers and students.¡±

Professor Xi said that the Covid-19 pandemic had ¡°sped up reforms in higher education,¡± using as an example the quick shift to online learning. Looking ahead five years, ¡°it is a critical time for the higher education sector to reshape itself¡±, he added.

Yang Rui, associate dean (research) at the?University of Hong Kong (HKU) Faculty of Education, said?that ¡°the plan comes at an interesting time because of the external environment¡±. He added that ¡°overall, the plan shows that China understands that it needs to depend on itself.¡±

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He agreed that this was the time for HE reform.

¡°Sooner or later, Chinese higher education should develop from rough, quantitative growth to real, high-quality development,¡± he said. ¡°Many problems have been caused by rapid development: for example, a very top-down management style.¡±

Hamish Coates, a professor at?Tsinghua University¡¯s Institute of Education and an expert in online education, said?that change is already happening.

¡°China, already the world¡¯s biggest [HE] system, is engaging in a range of strengthening exercises and is committed to globalisation,¡± he said.

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The government has already released various ethics and management reforms this year, while universities quickly set up online teaching options, even for extended periods and up through the doctorate level. ?

¡°Such reforms will have an overarching impact on global higher education,¡± Professor Coates said. ¡°Over the past 15 years we have been coaxed into pretending that there is an ¡®ideal type¡¯ of university. This is not true. And as China¡¯s 35-year double-first class strategy plays out in coming years, we will see marked growth and diversification, not just in universities, but in the role they play in sustaining cities and communities.¡±

Andrew Sheng, a distinguished fellow at HKU¡¯s Asia Global Institute who formerly taught at Tsinghua, said?that ¡°the quality of university research will improve both technological advancement, helping to?upgrade the labour and managerial labour force, and upgrade creativity in products, design, marketing and distribution.¡±

Chinese R&D spending has been growing at about 11 per cent for several years, while R&D in?higher education institutions grew 23 per cent in 2019. ¡°This trend will continue under the FYP,¡±?Mr Sheng said.

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joyce.lau@timeshighereducation.com