More than 400 students and civil servants gathered at Peking University on Saturday to learn more about the school's new Master of Public Administration (MPA) programme, which will enroll postgraduate students in October.
MPA courses will help China's government officials make better decisions by teaching objective means of analyzing situations, said Wang Puju, dean and professor of the Political Science and Administrative Management of Peking University.
"The MPA programme is created specifically for the needs of training talent in the administrative management of the public sector and will promote modernization in our country," said Wang, who is also the director of the MPA programme.
Most students entering the programme are already working in the public sector. They can earn the degree in two to four years while attending part-time.
The MPA programme offers four specialities: public policy, performance management of the public sector, human resources management in the public sector and public economic management.
"Providing the MPA programme will have a far-reaching effect on China's modernization process by training professionals to serve in the country's governmental and social institutions," said Wang Yanglin, vice-president of the university's graduate school.
As the nation modernizes, many non-governmental institutions are taking on more social management functions. This also demands the rapid development of an MPA educational programme, Wang said.
Since 1977, education programmes have been developed for China's civil servants, including short-term training and administrative and management courses.
But short-term training and structured courses have not been enough to meet the demands of further political reforms.
Fewer than half of China's 5.3 million civil servants hold college degrees, according to official statistics.
But nowadays, more undergraduates and civil servants are furthering their studies by seeking master degrees in a variety of fields, including law, medicine, finance, communications, accounting and engineering, Liu Jialin, director of Civil Service Management of the Ministry of Personnel said.
(China Daily 06/18/2001)
