For a country like China, which has nearly 10 million square kilometers of land and a population of 1.2 billion, it is naturally a big country. China's rapid development can be regarded as a dividend of reform, demographic dividend, and market dividend. Reform is the most important thing. Only when reform and barriers are broken can other factors play a role.

But these dividends will disappear sooner or later. The faster China develops, the faster the dividend will disappear. The development of labor-intensive industries mainly benefits from the demographic dividend. However, with the mainland's family planning policy, the demographic dividend will disappear after at most twenty or thirty years. What the mainland will face at that time is the problem of population aging.

From dividends to burdens, the transition is so fast.

But the birth policy cannot be cancelled soon. After all, the burden on the country and society by 1.2 billion people is also very heavy, and the country cannot afford the consequences of the continuous rapid population growth.

In a sense, the expansion of enrollment in colleges and universities has indeed accelerated the mainland's advantages in labor-intensive industries to a certain extent, because in twenty years, the gross enrollment rate of higher education in the mainland will exceed 50%, which means that half of the population of appropriate age will enter universities. For those who have received higher education, they will definitely not be able to accept jobs and low salaries in labor-intensive industries, which will directly cut the potential labor force of labor-intensive industries by half.

In addition, the development of the tertiary industry will also absorb a large number of people of appropriate age, which leads to fewer and fewer people willing to engage in monotonous and repetitive labor-intensive industries, and some factories often experience labor shortages.

However, the explosive increase in higher education has indeed increased the level of education for the mainland people. When Apple answered why it was produced in the mainland, it said that only in the mainland can a sufficient number of technical engineers be found. Mobile phone OEM is not a high-tech, but precision production requires a large number of engineers. Without the great development of higher education, it is probably difficult for the mainland to have so many engineers, and industrial upgrading will be even more difficult.

From the perspective of a person who has experienced it, there are indeed many problems with the explosive growth of higher education in the mainland. After all, it doubles in two years and expands one hundred universities a year. Such expansion is contrary to the development laws of higher education. On the one hand, this rough growth method improves the overall level of higher education, and on the other hand, it is inevitable that the quality is uneven. It is still very realistic for the steady people to worry about the problem of higher education resources.

However, for the current government, expanding the scale of higher education still has many practical significance. The decline in the economic growth rate in the mainland in the past two years is both cyclical and structural problems and reform issues. The breakthrough of state-owned enterprise reform is to break the shackles of economic development and activate the potential of economic development. It is very important in the long run. But for the moment, it depends on the three pillars of economic growth, exports, investment and consumption.

In terms of exports, affected by the financial crisis, the currencies of Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and other countries depreciate, and the Chinese dollar that firmly pins the US dollar has appreciated relatively. The result of appreciation has caused the products produced in the mainland to decline in price competitiveness compared to Japan, and the products of South Korea and Southeast Asian countries have decreased. Although exports are still increasing, the decline in growth rate will inevitably have an impact on economic growth rate.

In terms of investment, the growth rate of investment is not slow, but due to the reform of state-owned enterprises, the finances are also relatively tight. Although the government insists on a positive fiscal policy, the scale of fiscal expansion is also limited due to the financial tensions, and relying solely on the government's investment in infrastructure is not a long-term solution.

Relatively speaking, consumption has driven the economy relatively healthily, and the government has been trying to find ways to stimulate mass consumption, proposing new housing reform policies, and promoting the development of real estate. On the one hand, the reform of higher education fees and expanding the scale of higher education are also related to this.

According to statistics, the consumption of mainland families in education accounts for 40% of family consumption, which shows that mainland families attach importance to the education of future generations. Therefore, the government hopes to drive the consumption economy by expanding the scale of higher education, and some people even shouted the slogan of industrialization of higher education. Of course, this slogan is very controversial and was later taken back, but in the past two years, this statement does have a certain market.

The expansion of higher education will not only drive consumption by universities, but also add 500,000 or 600,000 new college students every year. This group will drive consumption after entering the city. In addition, the expansion of enrollment in higher education has also made college entrance examinations a hot topic. If only a small part of the population of appropriate age would apply for college, then when the gross enrollment rate and college entrance examination admission rate have increased significantly, more and more people will apply for college entrance examinations. The consumption driven by this will affect the entire high school, and even junior high school students and related families, and this group includes tens of millions of middle school students and tens of millions of families. This is the real impact of the public in higher education in the future. In the past, the entrance examination was only a matter of a small number of people. After the expansion of higher education, it will become a matter for everyone, and some of them will continue to pursue better education, which will have an impact on the education and training market and the study abroad market.

In addition, expanding the scale of higher education can also help alleviate the current employment pressure. The biggest contradiction in society in the past two years is the problem of laid-off workers. Laid-off workers, migrant workers and unemployed young people have caused the current real unemployment rate to be very high. After expanding the scale of higher education, universities will absorb more than 500,000 or 600,000 young people of appropriate age every year. While colleges and universities expand enrollment, the scale of middle schools will also expand. Some youth associations that originally entered society to work will enter high schools and universities. In addition, the employment positions created after the enrollment will reduce millions or even tens of millions of employment demand every year.

Liang Jianwu was able to serve as the New Port Office because he knew the background of the debate, game and decision-making behind the expansion of higher education this time, so he paid special attention when Bao Feiyang contacted several universities in New Port.

Compared with the expansion of the scale of universities, it will undoubtedly be more difficult to improve the academic level and educational level of universities. For this reason, the country has also launched the 211 Project and 985 Project, hoping to build a number of world-class prestigious schools while expanding the scale. However, this task is obviously a long way to go.

Bao Feiyang plans to cooperate with universities in Xingang to introduce an international perspective and teaching atmosphere to the construction of Huixun District University Town, so that Huixun District University Town is different from ordinary university towns. Liang Jianwu still agrees with this. Since his own accumulation is not enough, it will be solved through introduction and exchange. This is a good method. The development of Xingang University of Science and Technology is enough to illustrate this point.

However, the situation in the mainland is different from that in Xingang. In addition to the issue of school funding, there will be many restrictions in management, enrollment, etc. Relatively speaking, funds are not something Bao Feiyang is worried about. He is very clear that what mainland universities lack in the future is not money, but real scholars and masters, as well as education quality.

"Your idea is very good..."

Liang Jianwu glanced at Bao Feiyang and said, "If you need any help, you can tell me as long as possible. I can also help you to include this cooperation in the key project of strengthening exchanges and cooperation between Xingang and the Mainland, so that whether it is Xingang or the Mainland, they will provide some support and convenience for the project. At present, Xingang has been seeking breakthroughs in this area to revitalize the New Port economy, so I think everyone will be happy to see this project."

Bao Feiyang nodded: "Then I'll trouble Uncle Liang..."

Bao Feiyang thought for a while and said, "I have been studying higher education in Xingang during this period. Xingang's higher education is above the standard in Asia and the whole world. If Xingang wants to strengthen its ties with the mainland, this is actually a very useful point."

Liang Jianwu smiled and said, "Since last year, Xingang has increased the number of students for mainland college students and also increased the number of students sent to mainland China."

"The international learning atmosphere of Xingang University is still very attractive to mainland college students." Bao Feiyang nodded and said.

"In addition, I noticed that the Xincheng government proposed to build Xincheng into Oriental Boston in 1997, and proposed the vision of building a regional talent training center and education hub. The Xincheng will likely promote the progress and implementation of relevant plans. The core of this idea is likely to expand the scale and quality of Xincheng's higher education, and attract more international students from the Asia-Pacific region to study in Xincheng..."

Xincheng and Xingang are relatively close in many aspects, including area, population, urbanized independent economies, free ports, logistics and financial centers, etc. The two are now the world's largest port and the second largest port respectively. They are naturally often compared with each other and pay more attention to each other.

Newtown proposed the vision of Oriental Boston two years ago and invited experts from various countries to go to Newtown for counselors. Although there is no more specific action yet, Newport has also noticed this plan.

"During the financial crisis in 1997, although Xincheng's economic and financial system did not collapse, it suffered huge losses. The economy fell into a serious recession in the past two years. The leaders of Xincheng proposed to transform into a knowledge economy. At this time, they proposed the vision of Oriental Boston. They should be to use first-class higher education to attract outstanding talents from all countries to the Xincheng, and then stay in Xincheng to contribute to the Xincheng's knowledge economy. The core is to gather and cultivate local and internationally scattered overseas talents."

Liang Jianwu pondered for a moment: "Feiyang, do you think Xingang should follow up with Xincheng's Oriental Boston plan?"
Chapter completed!