Despite China regularly cancelling foreign academic partnerships, some fear this latest round is linked to a recent clamp down of the country’s private tutoring industry. Photo: David WongDespite China regularly cancelling foreign academic partnerships, some fear this latest round is linked to a recent clamp down of the country’s private tutoring industry. Photo: David Wong
Despite China regularly cancelling foreign academic partnerships, some fear this latest round is linked to a recent clamp down of the country’s private tutoring industry. Photo: David Wong

China’s education authorities terminated 286 cooperative programmes between Chinese and foreign universities last week as part of a routine assessment of collaborative arrangements with foreign institutions.

A list of terminated programmes was published on the official app of the Ministry of Education and included partnerships with elite institutions including City University London, New York University and the University of Hong Kong.

They include a bachelor’s programme between the Harbin University of Science and Technology and City University London on mechanical design and automation, a master’s programme between Peking University and the University of Hong Kong on economics and finance, and a social work programme between Shanghai’s East China Normal University and New York University. Other universities to have partnerships culled included the University of Florida, University of Southern Queensland, and the University of Leeds.

While the authorities did not elaborate on the reason for the closures, the move has sparked public concern as it comes less than a month after a government crackdown on the private tutoring industry. Many see the tutoring bans and the foreign programme closures as part of a wider effort to reform China’s education industry.
“As someone who had just gotten into a collaboration programme between a Chinese and a foreign university, I’m panicking right now,” one person said on Weibo.
The State Council, China’s top administrative body, cracked down on the private tutoring industry on July 24. The government forced these companies to register as non-profit organisations, banned approvals for new companies and made it illegal for them to receive foreign investment. Wall Street English, one of China’s wealthiest English tutoring companies, is expected to file for bankruptcy this week.

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