Oriental Outlook

June 14, 2012

The trouble affecting China's Confucius Institutes in the United States in late May shocked people from home and abroad. Chinese teachers at the institutes were forced to go back to China as they were in violation of visa regulations, according to a U.S. government directive, which also says the institutes must obtain American accreditation. However, with efforts from the Chinese Government, American academics, concerned people and media, the incident was quickly resolved.

In this issue, Oriental Outlook looks at the life of these Chinese teachers in overseas Confucius Institutes, the difficulties they face and how this incident has not undermined the institutes' effectiveness. According to the magazine, China should strengthen its capability in dealing with similar emergencies and train more professional personnel to promote this cultural exchange institution.

Fiscal Transparency

China Economic Weekly

June 11, 2012

The transparency of governments has been an issue of great public concern. Recently, a report by Tsinghua University investigated 81 cities to examine the transparency of these local governments.

The magazine introduces the standards of evaluation and analyzes the reasons for differences in the extent of government fiscal transparency. Yu Qiao, who directed the investigation, believed improving the fiscal transparency was the first step toward better political governance, but the report showed many of them didn't disclose enough information on expenditure.

The per-capita GDP, dependence on foreign trade and the education background of local leaders were the main factors influencing fiscal transparency. The more developed the city was, or the higher education the leader received, the more transparent the government was found to be. And to absorb more investment, local governments whose economies depended largely on foreign trade, were inclined to implement a more open and fair fiscal policy.

Rural Teachers Training

The Beijing News

June 13, 2012

Cui Yongyuan, a well-known TV host in China, recently proposed a program aimed at training 100 teachers for rural schools in central China's Hunan Province, which will be launched this August. The local education authority said it would not oppose, support or participate in Cui's program. Cui then severely criticized the statement. The incident stirred wide social controversy.

Under the circumstances of unbalanced educational resources allocation,  Cui's initiative could fill the local government's deficiency and help improve rural education. The local authority should not hold such an uncooperative attitude toward this constructive proposal. Actually, it should realize the value of programs conducted by non-governmental organizations and feel obligated to provide necessary support to their efforts. 

Controversial TV Show

China Newsweek

June 18, 2012

A high rating job-hunting live TV show, Only You, sparked wide criticism recently due to the  harsh words the host and interviewers used on applicants.

China Newsweek looks at how the TV program is planned and the criticism leveled at the show. The designers said the program was made to help job seekers. However, after broadcast, it was criticized for spreading a negative job-hunting culture where competition was over-emphasized and employers were too arrogant and showed little respect to job seekers.

Kai-fu Lee, former head of Google China operations, was one of the critics and he led an online campaign to boycott the program. He said that similar shows should ensure fairness and equality,  where employers should respect applicants.

Keep Schools Open

Shanxi Evening News

June 15, 2012

For the past 10 years, many village schools have been closed and merged into bigger ones in order to save educational expenses. Admittedly, the move has an immediate impact on improving the overall education in some regions where transportation is convenient. However, in many remote mountainous areas, it brought more potential safety hazards as the merged schools were far away from students' homes, and ultimately led many to quit school.