by He Dan
BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- With a rapid increase in the number of Chinese graduates enrolling in PhD programs in the past decade, it seems the quality of education doctoral students receive is falling short.
About 70 percent of employers complain that employees who hold PhDs show little innovation in their work performance, according to a recent survey, which interviewed 1,392 PhD candidates, degree holders, professors and employers.
The survey found several flaws in postgraduate education, especially PhD programs, in the country.
Zhou Guangli, a professor at the Institute of Education Sciences in Huazhong University of Science and Technology, was in charge of the survey.
China replaced the United States to become the world's top producer of doctorate holders in 2008, according to an Asia Times report.
The number of PhD students in China reached 246,300 in 2009, about five times the figure in 1999.
The massive enrolment of PhD students has resulted in a severe shortage of qualified professors, Zhou was quoted as saying in the Wuhan-based Changjiang Daily.
"Nowadays, it is not rare for people in their 30s to become professors and supervise PhD students in Chinese universities, but I really doubt their experience and capability at such a young age," said Ge Daoshun, a professor of social policy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Almost half of the professors polled admitted each of them had to supervise more than seven PhD candidates. One supervisor said he was in charge of 47 candidates, according to Zhou's new book, which is based on the survey.
