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CNA: Ministry Of Education Says to Rectify False Inflated Employment Rate of College Graduates

The Central News Agency reported that Chinese colleges and universities like to advertise that their graduates have a high employment rate, but many of the employment rates they report are false. The Chinese Ministry of Education recently issued a notice which disallowed universities from forcing graduates to sign employment agreements. In addition, they cannot withhold students’ diplomas because of their refusal.

Beijing News reported that the Chinese Ministry of Education stated that some colleges and universities require all graduates to sign an employment agreement or provide employment certificates, telling them that the employment certification will serve as a condition for a thesis defense or a diploma. This has seriously violated the rights of graduates. The Ministry also directed that, in the future, all schools must set up tip lines to prevent such fraud, and that the officials will also improve the verification mechanism.

This provision reflects the old problem of the false employment rates that Chinese universities report. A review of past reports from the mainland media reveals that the schools have managed to make the employment data of the graduates look nice when they face the pressure of employment, when new students are enrolling, or when cuts of certain programs are proposed. Some graduating students reported that the school stipulates that an employment agreement and a labor contract must be returned to the school by the end of May to prove that they have been employed. Some schools require that students must sign an agreement with the school and with the employer before they leave school. Although it is not a real labor contract, students are inexplicably considered “employed.”

This year, the number of graduates from colleges and universities in China reached 8.34 million. They are currently at the peak time for graduates to be signing employment contracts.

Source: Central News Agency, May 11, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201905110112.aspx