Worst. Idea. Ever.
A leading university in the country’s financial hub –Shanghai — has launched a special business program catering to students from wealthy families who are expected to take over the reins of their family’s enterprises. (China Daily)
Ooof. That’s my initial reaction.
Isn’t this almost emblematic of the worst tendencies of modern China and the problems associated with breakneck economic growth? If you ever needed justification for rebalancing the domestic economy, maybe this is it.
The dean of the school’s overseas study department tries valiantly to dress up the program in what sounds to me like Confucianist principles, but I’m not buying into the spin.
We believe that entrepreneurs can be trained with the proper approach. We hope to cultivate more entrepreneurs who can commit to the responsibilities of the family as well as society, and meanwhile master advanced business knowledge and management skills[.]
Yeah, maybe some of these people have some common experiences that can be dealt with collectively in a program like this. But I think it’s absurd to believe that getting them together at an elite university (this is Jiaotong we’re talking about), where they will be mostly interacting with other rich elite people, will not exacerbate the social disconnections brought about by the ever-widening income gap in this country.
What I’m going to say next will no doubt be thought of as historically tone deaf. It is, and a bit outrageous, but I’ll press on anyway.
Simply put, some of these rich kids, in addition to good educations at elite universities, need to be sent back to the countryside to learn how the other half lives.
To sum up: this new program sounds good for the university in terms of revenue, catering to powerful families, and maybe PR. But good for society? Very doubtful.
Whoa, wait a second, what?
How is this any different from what already exists in, particularly, the Western World? Rich kids having access by connections or wealth to more exclusive education and organizations?
Granted, Jiaotong is capitalizing on this and yes, the Confucian camo isn’t very convincing, but it’s kinda hard to comment on how this will “exacerbate the social disconnections brought about by the ever-widening income gap in this country” especially with West Point, Cambridge, “as well as business schools around Europe” involved in this program. Specifically, how is this actually and uniquely “emblematic of the worst tendencies of modern China and the problems associated with breakneck economic growth?
I don’t think this is emblematic of modern China or breakneck economic growth at all. This is emblematic of human social stratification.
BTW, as my first time commenting here, I do want to say I generally enjoy your posts and perspectives.
Thanks for the comments. I think I would indeed be a hypocrite if I was, for example, criticizing Jiaotong or Beida or any other elite Chinese university but not applying the same standard to places like Harvard or Oxford.
But I don’t think I am. I have no problem with elite universities in general (and Jiaotong is a great school), as long as they allow equal access based on merit. Where I criticize them, it is for “legacy” type admissions policies and high fees that screen out poor kids with no access to financial aid (the latter being a government policy issue as well). For the same reasons, I think diversity programs in admissions are good things.
Elitism is a problem for all top programs in law, business, etc. You run the risk of creating a class of grads that have a tenuous grasp of what the real world is like. It doesn’t serve society, and it ultimately doesn’t serve the grads either. I went to college with a bunch of rich, privileged kids who frankly had their heads up their asses and needed some lessons in life.
Instead of trying to avoid these problems, this specific program at Jiaotong seems to run toward them. It is definitely emblematic of human social stratification, which is one huge problem with current economic growth patterns in this country. Universities should not be making the problems associated with the income gap worse.
Surely something is better than nothing. They are taking over anyway – what harm can it do?
Damn it! Stop trying to puncture the remaining thin bubble of idealism surrounding me. Once that goes, the ice cold, painful reality will come rushing in to finish the job it started many years ago. That would be a bummer.
Stan,
I agree that this Jiaotong program is very blatantly discriminatory by design and cost, what with it specifically targeting the kids expected to inherit/take-over their family’s businesses. I just find it hard to admonish China for this tendency of wealth polarization and social stratification with a straight face when the same problem seems about as obvious in the West. I feel like we’re wobbling on the edge of a deep philosophical social policy hole and just one question away from falling in: What is the West doing to successfully combat this to serve as a good example to China? Once this question gets asked, then we’re back to the age-old debate between equality and meritocracy (aka pro or anti affirmative action).
One further comment. It is exactly because I do not support similar policies/programs in the West that prompts my criticism here. I know what all this can lead to, and it would be really sad for it to happen here. In other words, I think that China can learn from what the West is doing wrong.
Of course wealthy people tend to group together, but wealth being a stated prerequisite to gaining admission into a university sounds like a first, especially in a communist country.
However, most likely this is just a way for the school to make money from stupid rich kids who would not be admitted under ordinary circumstances. There diploma’s will most likely have asterisks stamped on them.