China is now on a par with the West in its capacity to service the ÖйúAƬ needs of its own population, a review suggests.

The , by researchers at Tsinghua University¡¯s Institute of Education, shows that China has achieved participation and inclusivity rates to rival those of Europe and North America.

While the article cites eye-popping statistics ¨C including a twofold rise in university numbers, a ninefold increase in enrolments and a 14-fold escalation of scientific papers over the past two decades ¨C overseas observers have become accustomed to extraordinary growth in China¡¯s burgeoning ÖйúAƬ system.

Arguably less familiar are figures suggesting that the country is now a leader on measures that Western university systems typically harness to gauge their own progress.

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The paper reports an impressive gender balance, with women constituting 49?per cent of academics and 53?per cent of students in China ¨C compared with 46 and 57?per cent, respectively, in the UK, on . Although just 31?per cent of China¡¯s full professors were women in 2016, this figure was only marginally below the US¡¯ .

The paper, published in the journal Change, says China¡¯s 55 ethnic minority groups, which constitute 9?per cent of the country¡¯s population, occupy 9?per cent of undergraduate positions. In Australia, by comparison, Indigenous people? 1.7?per cent of domestic undergraduate places despite comprising 3.3?per cent of the population.

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The paper also reports that 46?per cent of 18- to 22-year-olds were enrolled in tertiary education by 2017 ¨C up from about 26?per cent in 2007, 8?per cent in 1997 and 2?per cent in 1978.

Australia is closing in on a recently abandoned target of 40?per cent ÖйúAƬ attainment, while recent figures put the and the participation rates at 50 and 41?per cent, respectively, up from 43 and 39?per cent a decade ago.

The paper¡¯s lead author, Zhou Zhong, said these figures were not necessarily comparable because each country used different age ranges and educational levels to calculate participation rates.

China uses levels 5 to 8 in the International Standard Classification of Education, covering everything from short pathway programmes to PhDs. Dr Zhong said the people included were mainly undergraduate, ¡°but the trend is impressive¡±.

ÖйúAƬ

She said that far from tailing off, China¡¯s participation was likely to accelerate in coming years because the traditional university-age population was shrinking ¨C a?legacy of the now-abandoned one-child policy. ¡°Over the next 10?years, the participation rate will grow even if the total enrolment rate stays the same.¡±

While China¡¯s ÖйúAƬ achievements might be emulating the West in desirable ways, Dr Zhong said, the sector had also borrowed an unwanted characteristic: a penchant for working ¡°996¡± ¨C 9am to 9pm, six days a week ¨C to meet excessive workloads.

She said that while the term 996 was borrowed from China¡¯s information technology sector, its academic manifestation was fuelled by rankings and ¡°new management¡± targets for publications, citations and impact factors. ¡°We sort of imported that from the West, and play harder.¡±

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com