UNDERSTANDING THE CHINESE EDUCATION SYSTEM AND MATCHING DANISH AND CHI- NESE EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

UNDERSTANDING THE CHINESE EDUCATION SYSTEM AND MATCHING DANISH AND CHI- NESE EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS FEBRUARY 2014

CONTENTS BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION 1 MATCHING CHINA AND DENMARK S EDUCATION SYSTEMS 2 2.1 UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION (3) 3 2.1.2 UPPER SECONDARY GENERAL EDUCATION (3.4) 3 2.1.3 UPPER SECONDARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION (3.5) 3 2.2 TERTIARY EDUCATION (5-8) 4 2.2.2 TERTIARY GENERAL EDUCATION (6, 7, 8) 6 2.2.3 TERTIARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION (5.5) 6 MATCHING CHINESE AND DANISH EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS 7 3.1 DANISH UNIVERSITIES 7 3.2 DANISH UNIVERSITY COLLEGES 9 3.3 DANISH BUSINESS ACADEMIES 10 3.4 DANISH HIGH SCHOOLS 12 3.5 DANISH VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS 13 KEY TAKE-AWAYS 13 ANNEX 1: 985- AND 211-UNIVERSITIES AND THEIR KEY-DISCIPLINES AT FIRST LEVEL 15 ANNEX 2: 30 HIGHEST RANKED JUNIOR COLLEGES AND THEIR REGION 19 ANNEX 3: 30 HIGHEST RANKED UPPER MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND THEIR REGION 20

BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION Innovation Centre Denmark in Shanghai (ICDK) witnesses a growing interest from Danish education institutions to collaborate with Chinese counterparts and vice versa. This could e.g. be collaboration on exchange of students and teachers, participation in summer schools or summer courses, joint programmes as well as dual degreeprogrammes. However, education systems and their institutions are by nature national and each country has different structures, relations and division of labour between institutions. And the institutions also have different offerings to the young talented people in terms of curricular content, degrees etc. The difficulties of benchmarking performance across countries and institutions create challenges for the individual education institution interested in pursuing collaboration with a Chinese counterpart. This challenge is only accentuated by the fact that China s educational system, as the country itself, is large and complex, with more than 80 million students at secondary and tertiary level across at 28,000 institutions, cf. to China Statistical Yearbook 2013 for mainstream education. In addition, the Chinese educational system is clouded in complex terminology a due to the translation and different understandings and usages of certain terms. This paper will give general guidance to Danish secondary and tertiary education institutions with an interest in China and Chinese institutions. It will provide a brief overview and comparison of the Chinese regular and mainstream education system and compare it to the Danish system. It will therefore not include adult or distance education. Nor will the paper address different institutional setups or variations between specific study directions and majors, as e.g. teachers or doctors. Secondly, the paper will provide general guidelines to Danish education institutions in their quest for Chinese partners. Additionally, the report can also be of interest to Danish companies with Chinese subsidiaries that have an interest in improving their understanding of the Chinese education system and its institutions and to create tighter links to Chinese education institutions with a view to ensure a pipeline for talents. However, the main audience for the report is Danish education institutions. Hopefully the short paper will shed some light on the Chinese education system and will generate even more appetite for collaborating with Chinese institutions. For more information and dialogue about ICDK s services, please contact: Mr Lars Christensen, Innovation Attaché e-mail: larsch@um.dk tel.: +86 21 6085 2003 mob.: +86 139 1698 8621 Innovation Centre Denmark aims to strengthen research, innovation and higher education in Denmark and to promote Denmark as a leading knowledge society. The Danish innovation centres can provide you with access to knowledge, technology and networks in selected global leading research, education and innovation environments. Innovation Centre Denmark in Munich, New Delhi/Bangalore, Sao Paolo, Seoul, Shanghai and Silicon Valley are established in cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. See more on www.icdk.um.dk. P a g e 1

MATCHING CHINA AND DENMARK S EDUCATION SYSTEMS The chart below provides the overview of the matching of education systems between Denmark and China and on the surface there is a clear affinity for both academic year/age and the division separation into primary, secondary and tertiary education. The chart is based on UNESCO s International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) 2011-levels of education as a framework for comparison. The number listed therefore follows ISCED-categorisation. Framework of comparison P a g e 2

As in most other industrialised countries incl. Denmark China operates with a twotrack system from the level of secondary education and upward. This introduces a distinction between general/academic (marked as 3.4, 6, 7 and 8 in the figure) and professional/vocational education (3.5 and 5.5). General and academic education is typically defined as education programmes designed to develop the students general knowledge and competencies, as well as literacy and numerical skills often to prepare participants for more advanced education programmes at a higher level in the system. On the other hand, vocational and professional education is defined as education programmes that are designed for students to acquire the knowledge, skills and competencies specific to a particular occupation, trade, or class of occupations or trades. Such programmes may have work-based components (e.g. apprenticeships, dual-system education programmes). The following paragraphs will go through the main features of secondary and tertiary education in China, covering several institution-types, degrees and certificates. 2.1 Upper Secondary Education (3) Programmes at the level of upper secondary education are typically designed to complete education in preparation for tertiary education or provide skills relevant to employment, or both. This level offers students more varied, specialised and in-depth instruction than lower secondary education. They are more differentiated, with an increased range of options and streams available. The Chinese system shares many similarities with the Danish one at this level and some differences. 2.1.2 Upper Secondary General Education (3.4) Upper secondary general education in China is undertaken at the Chinese Senior Middle School, which has many similarities to the Danish Gymnasium. China has close to 24.7 million students attending over 13,500 senior middle schools at this educational level. However China doesn t have the same variety as in Denmark where there are four different study options (STX, HHX, HTX, HF). Admission to Senior Middle School is generally based on graduation from Junior Middle School (2.4) and the score from local entrance examination. The purpose is to prepare students for further education through the tertiary general education. The studies take 3 years and upon completion, students can obtain Senior Middle School Graduation Certificate if they pass the Joint Academic Upper Middle School Graduation. Successful completion gives students access to take the Chinese National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) and thereafter apply to attend a tertiary general (6) or vocational (5.5) education, depending on the score of national entrance examination - and students own interest of course. Some may join the workforce directly. 2.1.3 Upper Secondary Vocational Education (3.5) As an alternative to the general education a number of options are available in a professional or vocational track. P a g e 3

Admission to upper secondary vocational education is generally based on graduation from Junior Middle School (2.4). However, in some rural and less developed areas of China you can find Vocational Junior Middle Schools as well, but they are becoming less and less frequent. They make it possible for students already after 6th grade at the lower secondary level to start a vocational education track, but this is not the general praxis. Approximately 18.5 million students are enrolled at almost 11,100 schools, where they get basic vocational and practical training that is geared towards employment and/or continued education. The vocational education track offers a greater variance among institutions than the academic and general one. You have three different tracks. Specialised Technical Schools, Vocational Middle Schools and Skilled Workers Schools and the institutional differentiation is thus more similar to the Danish institutional structure at this educational level with e.g. EUX and EGU. With a graduation certificate from Specialised Technical School or Vocational Middle School after typically 3 years more rarely 2 or 4 years of studies, one can transit to the labour market or apply for tertiary education (5). There are two different avenues to the tertiary level for students. One is they take the NCEE together with their fellow-students from Senior Middle School, even though the education at the secondary level is very practically oriented. The other is that a student gets enrolled in a 5- year professional/vocational program starting already from Upper Secondary Education, thus entailing 3 years vocational secondary education + 2 years vocational tertiary education (Zhuanke-course, cf. below). With a certificate from the Skilled Worker School, one is educated directly to employment. 2.2 Tertiary Education (5-8) Tertiary education builds on secondary education, providing learning activities in specialised fields of education. It aims at learning at a high level of complexity and specialisation. On the surface, the structure of the tertiary education in China looks similar to the Danish; however, there exist a larger degree of terminological variance and heterogeneity compared to Denmark especially when it comes to institutional offerings, educational possibilities and tracks. In addition, there is a mix of public, private and socalled independent institutions, making it even less transparent. A key difference is the duo-certificate system of Chinese qualifications, where students both can get a certification of graduation/completion of study and a degree. The latter one very much follows the same lines as in Denmark with the three levels of academic degrees bachelor, master and PhD. However, in addition to this, students receive a certification of graduation that has a very specific purpose and is more important in Chinese higher education qualifications framework. It is a document of educational qualification, testifying that an individual has gone through a formal education with qualified results and is entitled to further his/her study or to a given salary level, if he/she joins the workforce. Such certificates exist at several levels and at several types of institutions: Students will get a postgraduate study completion certificate from master programs and doctor- P a g e 4

al programs. From bachelor-program with a long cycle of 4-5 years you will get a certificate called Benke. This can be given both by academic and vocational institutions. For short cycle of studies 2-3 years you will get a certificate termed Zhuanke, which does not match any degrees directly. The table sets out the relation between academic degrees and certificate of completion. Chinese degrees and certificates Certificates of Completion of Study (years of study) Zhuanke Certificate of Completion (2-3) Benke Certificate of Completion (4-5) Certificate of Completion from master programme (+2-3) Certificate of Completion from PhDprogramme (+3-5) Academic degrees PhD Degree Master degree Bachelor degree Sub-degree Institutions of higher education have to be authorized by the Ministry of Education to deliver and organize education programs of certain level and to hand out certificates of completion of study. Institutions at the tertiary level can also only offer academic degree after it has been authorised to do so by the Academic Degrees Committee of State Council, placed at the Chinese Ministry of Education. This also goes for private and independent institutions, cf. later. The authorization of an institution to deliver a program of certain level and to award corresponding qualification happens before authorization to award a degree. In practice, the separation means that some institutions e.g. have the right to award a postgraduate study completion certificate but they do not necessarily and automatically have the right to award a Master or PhD degree. In terms of ownership, the Chinese system can be somewhat complex. Institutions that at the tertiary level can enrol students can be divided into public, private and independent ones. Private institutions are owned by a private entity, an individual or a corporation, whereas an independent institution is set up by a public institution with a contribution from a private investor. Private and independent institutions have a considerable share of the market for zhuanke- and benke-courses, but are however very rarely admitted to offer bachelor degrees. P a g e 5

2.2.2 Tertiary General Education (6, 7, 8) When public universities authorized by the Ministry of Education offer benkeprogrammes, they almost universally also lead to a a bachelor-degree (6),. Upon successful completion of such a programme, students therefore receive a bachelor-degree as well as the benke-qualification. Admission to bachelor-studies is generally based on graduation from Senior Middle School (3.4) or one of the vocational institutions at the secondary level (3.5) and scores on the unified NCEE. In order to apply for a master-degree (7), you have to have a benkecertificate/qualification, but not necessarily a bachelor-degree. However, accessing master studies is very competitive; therefore in practice both are needed. A masterdegree allows candidates to apply for PhD-studies (8). Both bachelor and master degrees educate a student for further studies and employment and in fact most Chinese undergraduates transit directly to the workforce. A difference compared to Denmark is that the years of study differ from the Danish 3+2+3-system. The main rule is that a Chinese bachelor is 4 years, a master 2.5-3 years and a PhD 3-5 years, meaning that a Chinese PhD have up to 12 years of university studies, whereas the maximum in Denmark is 8 years with a very few exceptions, 9 years. Almost 900 institutions in China offer bachelor-degrees to a total of over 14 million students. This embraces both public and private (but not independent institutions). In terms of institutional names you have universities, institutes, academies and colleges. They are here referred to as universities as a common denominator. 2.2.3 Tertiary Vocational Education (5.5) It can be discussed whether benke-course that are more practically oriented and that do or do not also entitle to a bachelor-degree should be characterised as within tertiary vocational education or not. Such courses are typically offered by the so-called vocational universities that in most cases do not offer studies beyond benke. On the other hand, safely within the track of tertiary vocational education students can attend zhuanke-programmes that is more practically and professionally-oriented than in the general education-track. Admission to this type of education is also generally based on graduation from senior middle school (3.4) or one of the vocational institutions at the secondary level (3.5), and scores on the NCEE. Among institutions that offer this short-cycle education are polytechnic/vocational colleges that focuses on occupational and technical training, specialized junior colleges mainly for capacity building rather than technical training, and technician colleges provide courses specially designed for the state occupational license qualification of technicians. All the zhuanke-educations take 2-3 years and educate you to join the workforce and together as a group the institutions are often referred to as junior colleges as they cannot confer degrees. P a g e 6

However, a range of the university institutions also provides zhuanke-courses. These are in general viewed to be of a higher quality than the colleges mentioned above. There exists upgrading- and transition-programmes typically two or three years, meaning that a proportion of the students after zhuanke can continue to benke. There exists close to 1,300 junior colleges which is the overall term for all the education institutions in this vocational track. Almost 25 million students are enrolled at zhuanke and benke courses in 2012, but that number is both covering the academic and vocational stream. Some of the institutions combine both (3.5) and (5.5), thereby providing a tight link between the second and tertiary levels. Some would perhaps regard zhuanke-education rather as a post-secondary non-tertiary education rather than a short-cycle tertiary. MATCHING CHINESE AND DANISH EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS The mapping of the education provides the backbone for matching Danish and Chinese education institutions. The following sections provide some guidelines for Danish education institutions to reflect upon when considering a partner among Chinese education institutions. When possible, they are based on indicators of quality of the Chinese institutions. Such information is, however, not available in all cases. Therefore, more practical and strategic considerations are also offered. The choice of partner also very much depends on the kind of collaboration that the individual institution is pursuing. If the interest concerns formal collaboration that involves degrees, it is of course important to observe the actual recognition of degrees in both Denmark and China. If the interest is to develop more informal relations, equality in terms of content can be said to take precedence. But of course, in most cases the two are aligned. General pointers for all Danish education institutions Authorisation by the Chinese Ministry of Education it should be a prerequisite when identifying a Chinese partner, especially if collaboration is to involve degrees and certificates. Command of English this is also a prerequisite for collaboration and cannot be tested conclusively before the first meeting. However, a first good indicator - also for the degree of internationalisation, cf. below is the quality and depth of the institution s English webpage. Degree of internationalisation does the institution have examples of and a track record of international collaboration already? On the downside, this may mean that the institution already has a longstanding and committed collaboration with other partners. Long-term investment - collaboration on education in China is a long-term investment. Let the collaboration grow organically from small initiatives to larger and deeper ones as trust and confidence is built over the years. 3.1 Danish Universities In 2007, Denmark and China, signed an agreement on the mutual recognition of academic degrees. This effectively means that it is settled how some Danish and Chinese degrees in higher education align. For universities, this means that there is an agreed P a g e 7

equivalence between Danish and Chinese bachelor-, master- and PhD-degrees and not benke and other certificates of completion. The agreement therefore also implies that collaboration between Danish and Chinese university-like institutions universities and the higher education institutions in architecture and arts in Denmark, that offer the three degrees, are a relatively easy match for potential collaboration. However, as mentioned, with close to 900 institutions offering bachelor degrees, it can be difficult to navigate in the Chinese system and find the best and most fitting partner. Danish universities can choose to rely on international rankings of Chinese universities (e.g. Times Higher education) or by conducting bibliometric analyses of specific scientific areas both methods are mainly based on science indicators and there even exist Chinese national rankings for universities as well. Furthermore, Danish institutions can also base their considerations on the following categories, which distinguish among Chinese universities based on funding and priority: In 1998, the Chinese government introduced Project 985. The project awarded a number of the most prominent public universities additional financial support with the aim of generating first-class research universities that were able to compete on a global scale. The government singled out 39 universities, who are all also 211-institutions. This group is therefore widely recognized as the best universities in China in terms of finances and government backing. The universities are also the ones generally considered to be ones that are most research-intensive and the heaviest research-based education. Project 211 was introduced by the Chinese government in 1992. The ambition was to improve the quality of education to satisfy international standards. This implied extra financial support from government for better facilities, equipment, curricula and staff at public universities. Today the list consists of 112 universities and all offer degrees up to the PhD-level. It is estimated that the 211-universities provide training 4/5 of doctoral students, 2/3 of graduate students, 1/3 of undergraduates. Another way to stratify universities is via the ranking of disciplines. There are two ways. One to look into the so-called national key disciplines, out of which is estimated that 211-universities are responsible for over 90% of them. The key disciplines are subjects that have received extra funding from the Ministry of education to be cultivated and offered at the highest level possible. An alternative method is to rely on China Discipline Ranking (CDR) that evaluates the disciplines of universities and colleges. The evaluation is mainly based on a university/college s teaching staff and resources, its scientific research level, its talent training quality and the reputation of its disciplines. The ranking can be accessed from CDR s webpage. P a g e 8

There is, of course, a significant overlap between the results of the two approaches. Annex 1 provides a list of the 985 and 211-universities in China, grouped by region. The annex also mentions all the key disciplines according to their host 211-university. These rankings do not include the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) that the Danish universities have establish the Sino-Danish Centre for Education & Research (SDC) together with. On the Ministry of Education s webpage one can find lists of all the education institutions authorised to offer undergraduate education and upwards. Unfortunately, there exist no lists for which universities who only offer undergraduate degrees. However, as a general rule the most common terminology is that colleges on the list offer bachelordegrees. But this cannot be taken as an exclusive rule. 3.2 Danish University Colleges The mutual recognition of degrees between Denmark and China also embraces Danish professional bachelor degrees and gives it equal status as the Chinese university bachelor degree (but still not benke). It is therefore also relevant to work with Chinese universities at the undergraduate level for this group of Danish institutions. The above considerations on the Chinese universities therefore also hold relevance for the Danish university colleges. However, the following remarks might also be worth taken into account. For the best and research-based Chinese universities, the immediate attraction to collaborate with Danish university colleges as compared to Danish and other foreign universities must be expected to be lower. Irrespective of the high quality of the Danish educations, the highest ranked Chinese universities will be a more natural fit for Danish universities. Thus, it can be a strategic consideration for Danish university colleges not to strive after the absolute top-chinese universities, but instead, to target the universities e.g. outside the 985 and/or universities in Chinese 2 nd or 3 rd tier cities that currently are less in demand among international education institutions. China s Cities in Tiers 1st tier 1A: Beijing, Shanghai 1B: Guangzhou, Shenzhen 1C: Tianjin (or 2A) 2nd tier 2A: Nanjing, Wuhan, Shenyang, Xian, Chengdu 2B: Jinan, Harbin, Changchun, Xiamen, 3rd tier 3A: Yinchuan, Xining, Haikou, Luoyang, Nantong, Changzhou, Xuzhou, Weifang, Zibo, Shaoxing, Wenzhou, Taizhou, Daqing, Anshan, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Shantou, Jilin, Liuzhou 3B: Lhasa, Baoding, Handan, Qinghuangdao, Cangzhou, Erodes, Dongying, Weihai, Jining, Linyi, Dezhou, Binzhou, Taian, Huzhou, Jiaxing, Jinhua, Taizhou, Zhengjiang, Yanchen, Yangzhou, Guilin, Huizhouzhanjiang, Jiangmen, Maoming, Zhuzhou, Yueyang, Hengyang, Baoji, Yichang, Xiangfan, Kaifeng, Xuchang, Pingdingshan, Ganzhou, Jiujiang, Wuhu, Mianyang, Qiqihar, Mudanjiang, Fushu P a g e 9

Zhengzhou, Changsha, Fuzhou, Urumqi, Kunming, Lanzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi 2C: Nanchang, Guiyang, Nanning, Hefei, Taiyuan, Shijiazhuang, Huhehot, 2D: Foshan, Dongguan, Tangshan, Yantai, Quanzhou, Baotou 3C: Benxi, Dandong, Liaoning, Jinzhou, Yingkou, Chengde, Langfang, Xingtai, Datong, Yulin, Yanqing, Tianshui, Kelamayi, Kashi, Shihezi, Nanyang, Puyang, Anyang, Jiaozuo, Xinxiang, Rizhao, Liaochengzaozhuang, Bengbu, Huanan, Maanshan, Lianyungang, Huaian, Lishui, Quzhou, Jinzhou, Anqing, Jingdezhen, Xinyu, Xiangtan, Changde, Chenzhou, Zhangzhou, Qingyuan, Jieyang, Meizhou, Zhaoqing, Yulin, Beihai, Deyang, Yibin, Zunyi, Dali A proportion of the students continue from bachelor to master-studies, but there are a range of universities that are less research-based and not mandated to provide graduate programmes for students. They may have a clearer professional focus than purely academic even though they are based in the academic stream. In this way, many of their students conclude studies at this level and go to the labour market. Unfortunately, a list of the undergraduate universities does not exist. SUCCESS CASE: VIA College and Chinese Universities VIA University College has cooperated with universities in China since 2001. Academic collaboration includes recruiting Chinese students for VIA s English programmes in Denmark, exchanging Danish students with Chinese universities, offering joint- and double degree programmes as well as establishing joint development projects and staff exchange. Also in collaboration with public and private partners from Denmark and China, VIA provides tailor-made educational courses for staff in areas such as pre-schools and nursing homes. In 2011, VIA opened the first representative office in Chengdu, which is considered as a strategic area for VIA s activities in China. In 2013, the Municipality of Chengdu and Horsens Municipality, Denmark, signed a sister-city agreement. The agreement was partly a result of VIAs activities in Chengdu. VIA s representative office is moved to a new office, which VIA share with their Danish partners: Horsens and Hedensted municipalities. 3.3 Danish Business Academies To the extent that a Danish business academy offers professional bachelor degrees they are of course also automatically recognised in China, cf. the mutual agreement. However, the Danish academy bachelor are not covered by the agreement on mutual recognition degrees between Denmark and China, which means the degree needs to be recognised on an individual basis and case-by-case. On the other hand and as mentioned the Chinese benke and zhuanke-certificate are not a part of the agreement either. The Danish Agency for Higher Education in the Danish Ministry for Higher Education and Science assesses that a zhuanke equals 1 year of a bachelor degree, whereas a benke equals 2 years of a bachelor-degree. How it relates to an Academy Bachelor degree is currently not decided and institutions thereby have to proceed case-by case. P a g e 10

Additionally, the Danish academies seem to cut across or fall between two of the institution-types in China, for which reason finding the proper institutional match in China can prove more complex. Universities and especially universities offering solely bachelor-programmes and benke and zhuanke-programmes. However, they may not necessarily be a natural partner for Danish business academies, confer the considerations above reg. the strongest Chinese universities. Junior colleges used as the common denominator for the institutions at the tertiary vocational education level offering zhuanke-certificates. However, given the Danish evaluation mentioned above, this is not the perfect match either. A couple of supplementary considerations could prove to be helpful, which also might be of relevance to other Danish institutions providing education at the tertiary level. The first step is to look into potential sister-city/region agreements by the Danish entities in which the education institution is based. Many Danish cities/regions already have agreements with Chinese counterparts, and some even include collaboration on education. Political backing in China is of great importance and referring to such agreements can provide a stepping stone, when approaching a Chinese institution. For the agreements that currently do not embrace education, this could be the opportunity to work for the inclusion of it. The following map provides a list of the established agreements between Danish and Chinese cities and provinces; take into account that the overview might include all agreements. Sister-city/-regions between Denmark and China København-Beijing Aarhus-Harbin Sønderborg- Baoding Horsens- Chengdu Hedensted- Xindu Svendborg-Bozhou Viborg Chongqing Aalborg-Hefei Silkeborg- Shijiazhuang Morsø-Foshan Odense-Shaoxing Region Sjælland-Zhejiang Vordingborg-Benxi Kalundborg-Tianjin Frederikshavn-Qingdao Randers-Changzhou Vejle-Nantong Esbjerg-Suzhou Ballerup/Egedal/Frederikssund - Wuxi Region Midtjylland- Shanghai Sønderborg-Haiyan Rebild-Jiaxing P a g e 11

Secondly, another approach is to use the resources for networking available to each Danish institution in order to identify partners. That can both be via Chinese alumni, who have been for a shorter or longer study period in a Danish institution and can build bridges back to a Chinese education institution. This is often an underestimated resource. The same can Danish companies do. Business academies have very strong links to Danish industry and some of course very dependent on sector of the specific companies have subsidiaries in China, where they might have established links to education institutions. A list of the Danish subsidiaries in China can be found on the webpage of the Danish Trade Council. The Chinese Ministry of Education also has a list of the authorised junior colleges in the country. A ranking for junior colleges in China does exist. However, the criteria upon which it is based, is not disclosed and should thus be used with some reservations. Nonetheless, the 30 highest ranked colleges offering zhuanke-certificates in the vocational track - and their regions are listed in Annex 2. 3.4 Danish High Schools As was the situation for the Danish business academies, there is not signed an agreement on mutual recognition on degree at the level of upper secondary general education institutions either. However, identifying an institutional match appears to be somewhat easier also given that the collaboration will most likely not revolve around degree-collaboration. The natural partner for Danish high schools STX, HHX, HTX, HF would be Senior Middle Schools providing general upper secondary education. But Danish institutions should be aware that the Danish Agency for Higher Education estimates that a 3-year study and leaving certificate equals 2 years of a Danish high school. However, since the interest in collaboration here does not concern collaboration on degrees or certificates, this should not prove a major hurdle. It might be equally relevant for Danish institutions to tap into sister-city agreements that can provide the political foundation for making strong links to Chinese institutions in that city or region. Annex 3 has a list of the highest 30 ranked Senior Middle Schools in China, including mentioning of the region. The same reservations as mentioned in relation to the rankings above should be made. SUCCESS CASE: Bycirklen and Wuxi Bycirklen is a strategic partnership between the three municipalities Egedal, Frederikssund and Ballerup. All schools in Bycirklen have an exchange programme with a school in Wuxi at their equivalent level i.e. senior middle school, high school, vocational school and university, as a part of Bycirklen s China cooperation. Bycirklen s China cooperation began in 2007 when Bycirklen signed partnership agreement with Wuxi, and it opens up the exchanges of knowledge and experience in education, culture, health, and environment and ensures business a more direct path to cooperation in China. In 2010, the conference Wuxi/China-Bycirklen/Denmark Learning Expo 2010 was held in Wuxi to share the teaching and learning methods in P a g e 12

Secondary education Denmark to Chinese teachers. Other activities include but are not limited to mutual visits and students/teachers exchanges. 3.5 Danish Vocational High Schools Finally coming to the Danish vocational institutions, it unfortunately also gets more difficult to add new insights and proposals. The Danish Agency for Higher Education equals a certificate from one of the vocational senior middle schools as 1-2 years at a Danish vocational school. However as mentioned above, this is not considered to pose a great challenge. And any sistercity/region agreements are equally relevant for vocational institutions, of course. There exist a complete list of the Chinese vocational institutions in Chinese, but a ranking does not seem to exist unfortunately. KEY TAKE-AWAYS Many opportunities and avenues exist for Danish education institutions interested in collaborating with Chinese counterparts. However, there are also dead-ends and pitfalls. The report will conclude with an overview of the Chinese institutions, the degrees and certificates and their Danish match. Chinese institutions, degrees/certificates and their Danish match Institution in English Senior Middle School Specialised Techical School Vocational Middle School Skilled Workers School Institution in Chinese / Pin yin 高 级 中 学 Gao Ji Zhong Xue 中 等 专 业 学 校 Zhong Deng Zhuan Ye Xue Xiao 职 业 高 级 中 学 Zhi Ye Gao Ji Zhong Xue 技 工 学 校 Ji Gong Xue Xiao Certificate/Degree in English Certificate of Completion Certificate of Completion Certificate of Completion Certificate of Completion Certificate/Degree in Chinese / Pin yin 高 中 毕 业 证 书 Gao Zhong Bi Ye Zheng Shu 中 专 毕 业 证 书 Zhong Zhuan Bi Ye Zheng Shu 职 业 高 级 中 学 毕 业 证 书 Zhi Ye Gao Ji Zhong Xue Bi Ye Zheng Shu 技 校 毕 业 证 书 Ji Xiao Bi Ye Zheng Shu Danish institution Danish high schools Danish vocational high schools Danish vocational high schools Danish vocational high schools P a g e 13

Tertiary education Polytechtechinc/Vocational college Specialized Junior Colleges Technician Colleges University 职 业 学 院 Zhi Ye Xue Yuan 高 等 专 科 学 校 Gao Deng Zhuan Ke Xue Xiao 技 工 学 院 Ji Gong Xue Yuan 大 学 Da Xue Zhuanke Certificate of Completion Benke Certificate of Completion Bachelor's Degree Master's Degree Certificate of Completion from master programme Doctor's Degree Certificate of Completion from PhD programme 专 科 毕 业 证 书 Zhuan Ke Bi Ye Zheng Shu 本 科 毕 业 证 书 Ben Ke Bi Ye Zheng Shu 学 士 学 位 Xue Shi Xue Wei 硕 士 学 位 Shuo Shi Xue Wei 硕 士 毕 业 证 书 Yan Jiu Sheng Bi Ye Zheng Shu 博 士 学 位 Bo Shi Xue Wei 博 士 毕 业 证 书 Bo Shi Bi Ye Zheng Shu Danish business academies Danish business academies Danish business academies Danish business academies Danish business academies Danish university colleges and universities Danish universities Danish universities Danish universities Danish universities P a g e 14

ANNEX 1: 985- AND 211-UNIVERSITIES AND THEIR KEY- DISCIPLINES AT FIRST LEVEL Region Institution (green = 985-universities) Number of keydisciplines Beijing Beihang University 8 Beijing Foreign Studies University Beijing Forestry University 1 Beijing Institute of Technology 4 Beijing Jiao Tong University 2 Beijing Normal University 5 Beijing Sport University 1 Beijing University of Chemical Technology 1 Beijing University of Chinese Medicine 2 Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications 2 Beijing University of Technology Central Conservatory of Music Central University of Finance and Economics 1 China Agricultural University 6 China University of Geosciences (Beijing) 2 China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing) 1 China University of Petroleum (Beijing) 1 China University of Political Science and Law 1 Communication University of China Minzu University of China North China Electric Power University (Beijing) Peking University 17 Renmin University of China 8 Tsinghua University 21 University of International Business and Economics University of Science and Technology Beijing 4 Shanghai Donghua University 1 East China Normal University 2 East China University of Science and Technology 1 Fudan University 11 Second Military Medical University Shanghai International Studies University Shanghai Jiao Tong University 9 Shanghai University Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Tongji University 3 Tianjin Nankai University 7 Tianjin Medical University Tianjin University 7 Chongqing Chongqing University 3 Southwest University P a g e 15

Hebei Shanxi Hebei University of Technology North China Electric Power University (Baoding) Taiyuan University of Technology Shandong China University of Petroleum (Qingdao) 1 Ocean University of China 1 Shandong University 2 Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia University Heilongjiang Harbin Engineering University Harbin Institute of Technology 10 Northeast Agricultural University Northeast Forestry University 2 Jilin Jilin University 4 Northeast Normal University Yanbian University Liaoning Dalian Maritime University Dalian University of Technology 4 Liaoning University Northeastern University 3 Zhejiang Zhejiang University 14 Jiangsu China Pharmaceutical University 1 China University of Mining and Technology (Xuzhou) 1 Hohai University 1 Jiangnan University 1 Nanjing Agricultural University 4 Nanjing Normal University Nanjing University 7 Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics 2 Nanjing University of Science and Technology 3 Soochow University Southeast University 5 Anhui Jiangxi Henan Hubei Anhui University Hefei University of Technology 1 University of Science and Technology of China 9 Nanchang University Zhengzhou University Central China Normal University P a g e 16

China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) 2 Huazhong Agricultural University 1 Huazhong University of Science &Technology 7 Wuhan University 5 Wuhan University of Technology 2 Zhongnan University of Economics and Law Hunan Central South University 6 Hunan Normal University Hunan University 2 National University of Defense Technology 5 Guangdong Guangxi Fujian Hainan Sichuan Yunnan Guizhou Jinan University South China Normal University South China University of Technology 2 Sun Yat-Sen University 2 Guangxi University Fuzhou University Xiamen University 5 Hainan University Sichuan Agricultural University Sichuan University 5 Southwest Jiao Tong University 2 Southwestern University of Finance and Economics University of Electronic Science and Technology of 2 China Yunnan University Guizhou University Shaanxi Xidian University 2 Chang'an University 1 Fourth Military Medical University Northwest Agriculture & Forestry University Northwest University 1 Northwestern Polytechnical University 2 Shaanxi Normal University Xi'an Jiao Tong University 8 Gansu Ningxia Qinghai Lanzhou University Ningxia University Qinghai University P a g e 17

Tibet Xinjiang Tibet University Xinjiang University Shihezi University P a g e 18

ANNEX 2: 30 HIGHEST RANKED JUNIOR COLLEGES AND THEIR REGION Ranking College Region 1 Tianjing Vocational Institute Tianjin 2 Xingtai Polytechnic College Chongqing 3 Taxation Institute of Shanxi Province Shanxi 4 Liaoning Provincial College of Communications Liaoning 5 Changchun Automobile Industry Insititute Jilin 6 Heilongjiang College of Construction Heilongjiang 7 Shanghai Institute of Health Sciences Shanghai 8 Nanjing Insititute of Industry Technology Jiangsu 9 Wuxi Institute of Technology Jiangsu 10 Zhejiang Financial College Zhejiang 11 Wuhu Vocational Technical College Anhui 12 Fujian Communications Technology College Fujian 13 Weihai Vocational College Shandong 14 Yellow River Conservancy Technical Institute Henan 15 Pingdingshan Industry Vocational Technology Institute Henan 16 Changsha Social Work College Hunan 17 Hunan Railway Professional Technology College Hunan 18 Guangzhou Panyu Polytechnic Guangdong 19 Nanning College for Vocational Technology Guangxi 20 Chongqing Industry Polytechnic College Chongqing 21 Chengdu Aeronautic Polytechnic Sichuan 22 Sichuan Engineering Technical College Sichuan 23 Yangling Vocational & Technical College Shaanxi 24 Lanzhou Petrochemical College of Vocational Technology Gansu 25 Xinjiang Agricultural Vocational Technology College Xinjiang 26 Qingdao Technical College Shandong 27 Ningbo Polytechnic Zhejiang 28 Shenzhen Polytechnic Guangdong 29 Beijing Polytechnic College Beijing Beijing Vocational College of Electronic Science and Technology Beijing 30 P a g e 19

ANNEX 3: 30 HIGHEST RANKED UPPER MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND THEIR REGION Ran School Region king 1 The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China Beijing 2 Hubei NO.1 Middle School affiliated to Central China Normal Hubei University 3 Beijing No.4 High School Beijing 4 Jiangsu Qidong High Scholl Jiangsu 5 Zhejiang Hangzhou No.2 High School Zhejiang 6 The Affiliated High School of Peking University Beijing 7 Hubei Huanggang High School Hubei 8 Shanghai Foreign Language School Shanghai 9 Guangdong The Affliated High School of South China Normal Guangdong University 10 Hubei Wuhan Foreign Language School Hubei 11 Beijing The Affiliated High School of Tsinghua University Beijing 12 Sichuan Chengdu No.7 High School Sichuan 13 Beijing 101 Middle School Beijing 14 The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal Beijing University 15 Hubei Xiaogan Senior Middle School Hubei 16 Hubei No.4 High School of Xiangyang Hubei 17 The High School affiliated with Hunan Normal University Hunan 18 Beijing High Achool affiliated with Capital Normal University Beijing 19 The Affiliated High School of Fujian Normal University Fujian 20 Shanghai Nan Yang Model High School Shanghai 21 Liaoning Fuxin Experimental Middle School Liaoning 22 Anhui Anqing No. 1 Middle School Anhui 23 Jiangsu Jiangyan High School Jiangsu 24 Hubei No.3 High School of WISCO Hubei 25 Henan Kaifeng Senior High School Henan 26 Sichuan Ya'an Middle School Sichuan 27 Hubei Xiangyang No.5 Middle School Hubei 28 Hubei Wuchang Experimental High School Hubei 29 Zhejiang Leqing Yuecheng Public Boarding School Zhejiang 30 Shaanxi Xi'an Gaoxin No.1 High School Shaanxi P a g e 20