CRI听力: Lowering Trend of Chinese Overseas Students' Age Attracts More Social Attention

It's time for Chinese students wanting to go abroad to study to submit their applications. An overwhelming majority of Chinese students applied for graduate study on a Masters or PHD program a few years ago. But now, Chinese overseas students are getting younger and younger, applying for graduate study in Bachelor programs is not rare.

The trend of a lowering in the age of overseas student has attracted more social attention in China.

Our reporter Shuang Feng takes a closer look.

Reporter:(www.hXen.com)

Ge Enze, a junior student at a university in Beijing, is regretting that he did not study abroad after graduating from high school.

"Actually, I should have studied abroad after I graduated from high school. If I had gone abroad earlier, I would have gained more experience. My parents are supporting me to study abroad after I graduate from university."

Although they have decided to send Ge abroad to study, Ge's parents consider the time may be too late. They believe that the younger their children go abroad; the sooner they get accustomed to living and studying in a foreign country.

Many parents in China have had a similar idea. To satisfy parents' demand, some high schools opened training classes for studying abroad. In some places in China, there are even training classes for pupils who want to go abroad to study.

Experts say 80,000 students have abandoned the college entrance examination this year. Most of them are preparing to move abroad to study.
Sang Peng, the president of Beijing Overseas-study Service Association, explains.

"There are many reasons. First, the number of students who want to study in university is higher than the enrollment in China's universities. Second, some people are dissatisfied with the quality of higher education in China, and they have a higher expectation of higher education in foreign countries. But above all this, the income of Chinese is increasing rapidly. They can afford the fee to study overseas."

Experts say, in the short term, the lowering age of Chinese overseas students does not affect China's education system. But some people are expressing their concern. They say the younger students are unstable and self-indulgent. It will not benefit students to go abroad too young.

Shuang Feng, CRI News