According to sources from the General Political Department of
People's Liberation Army (PLA), more than 4,000 students will be
enrolled by 65 non-military universities for national defense units
this year. This will include
Tsinghua University and
Peking University.
The move is seen to strengthen the rapid development of PLA by
introducing higher technology skills into the force.
The news issued via the Xinhua News Agency shows that more than
4,000 students will be enrolled in over 30 provinces and
municipalities for China's military sector.
Military units have been taking new recruits from non-military
universities for several years in order to solve the deficient
supply of military graduates. The recruiting number this year
however marks a new record.
Every student who is to be enrolled for national defense units will
enjoy a 5,000 yuan (US$600) grant each year by subscribing to a
national defense subsidy agreement with the enrolling university
and the national defense unit. The grant amount will be adjusted
according to changes in university tuition fees and market
prices.
Students enrolled for the national defense sector will have the
same classes as normal university students; the only difference
being that after graduation they will work for the army.
There are over 60 military colleges in China at present. They
recruit freshmen from senior high school students each year. But
this doesn't fully fit the needs of China's military
reconstruction.
According to officials from the General Political Department of the
PLA, it is necessary to recruit higher quality candidates to the
army to guarantee its redevelopment and transformation. "The
military will speed up training in order to develop more high
quality military personnel," an official noted.
"In order to realize this rapid development and achieve the
information and mechanization reconstruction of the PLA, a large
quantity of new military talent is a must," he said.
It
has been said that military authorities have made great attempts to
attract and retain new talent by providing more convenient working
environments.
(China.org.cn by Wang Zhiyong, April 29, 2003)