The National College Entrance Examination will no longer be the only recruitment platform for Beijing's universities. The Education Ministry recently released a plan encouraging students to develop individuality and improve all-round abilities.

 

Beijing will implement plans to create a new format for college entrance exams, starting in 2010. Under the new reforms, universities and colleges will have more freedom to enroll students independently.

Wei Xiaodong, director of Recruitment of Beijing College of Labor and Social Security, said, "The new plan is designed to promote quality education and help higher-education institutions choose students with versatile abilities, not just academic scores."

The new measures will allow universities to enroll a student even if they don't meet all admission requirements but instead pass the Beijing college entrance examination and conforms to the recruitment criteria of the university.

Wei Xiaodong said, "We will enjoy more flexibility. Different majors at our college may focus on different aspects of students when recruiting. It's a good thing for both colleges and students. It's more reasonable than before when recruitment was based solely on final entrance exam scores."

Experts point out that despite some progress, more improvements will have to be made in the future. They are suggesting universities to play a more active role in recruitment and in designing the format and content of their own entrance exams.