Educational Development and the Socialist Market in Guangdong

Abstract

Since the economic reforms in 1978, China's education has been undergoing a process of decentralization under the direction of the central government. This chapter, being set against a policy context, focuses on another process of marketization which is taking place within the newly emerging market economy. Specifically, this chapter tries to examine how the publicly-funded educational institutions in Guangdong province have been affected by strong market forces, like the free labour market and the resurgence of private education. Under such an impact, these institutions have adopted different strategies such as fee-charging principles, venturing into the commercial field to generate additional incomes, as well as providing “market-driven” courses. All these are done in order to cope with the pressing educational needs in the changing market economy and to make their educational services become more attractive and competitive.