From diploma worship to diploma devaluation - the past and present of diplomas

by dianxin8 on 2011-04-22 19:11:28

From Diploma-ism to Diploma Devaluation - The Past and Present of Diplomas

Author: Feng Ling

Date: April 10, 2011: 46:18 PM

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Introduction: Regardless of ancient or modern times, diplomas have played a crucial role in political promotions. In ancient times, the imperial examination system was used as a method for selecting talent. Candidates who did not pass the exams indeed had no way to enter government service. Even so, a small portion relied on connections to obtain genuine diplomas in Tianjin. Later, due to political corruption and the prevalence of selling official positions, many entered politics through money. In contemporary times, if we say that undergraduate education is advocated by China to improve the quality of its citizens, then what does the increasing number of master's and doctoral degrees signify? Is it really the case that the current contradiction in China is between the people's ever-increasing intelligence and the declining morality of officials? If this is indeed the case, then further education for more people is necessary.

It is unclear when exactly Chinese people started to overly value diplomas. In the 60s to 80s, diplomas were, to some extent, equivalent to skills. Why is that? First, genuine diplomas from Tianjin cannot fully represent an individual's skill level; second, there are also talented individuals without diplomas. This is similar to the ancient imperial examinations where top scholars could write excellent poetry, but those who failed could also produce timeless works. With the changing times, the status of diplomas has also undergone changes. Why do many people today view diplomas merely as stepping stones? Because the decline in educational quality and students' lack of diligence have caused diplomas to lose their original meaning. Not to mention the relationship between diplomas and skills.

In the first half of 2011, our region publicly recruited 1210 civil servants at the level of director or below. Most positions required a bachelor's degree or above, among which, the proportion of positions open to individuals with two years or more grassroots work experience was no less than 50%. Additionally, for university village officials who have served for at least two years, the recruitment process adopted targeted recruitment and quota-based appointments to ensure the implementation of recruitment procedures.

In the first half of 2011, our region's civil service examination included 816 positions, most of which required a bachelor's degree or above, while the requirement for work experience was relatively relaxed, reflecting a tendency towards recruiting individuals with bachelor's degrees or higher. Characteristics of the civil service examination include: most positions requiring two years or more work experience, with relatively relaxed requirements for work experience.

From the perspective of the number of applicants, those with a bachelor's degree or above accounted for nearly 50%; from the perspective of positions, positions requiring a bachelor's degree or above accounted for 65% of the total; from the perspective of the number of applicants, the proportion of those limited by work experience requirements was around 25%; from the perspective of positions, positions limited by work experience requirements accounted for about 30%.

Even though the announcement clearly states that among the recruitment quotas, the proportion of positions open to individuals with two years or more grassroots work experience should be no less than 50%, there was no strict limitation on the eligibility of recent graduates, effectively providing more opportunities for a wide range of graduates with associate degrees, a point worth noting.

In the past, there were fewer undergraduates, master's students, and Ph.D.s, making management easier and allowing attention to be given to individuals. Due to the large scale in modern times, this has decreased. For example, in the past, one doctoral supervisor would mentor one master's student, at most two. Nowadays? Some mentors have over twenty, leading to unimaginable declines in quality.

In the past, studying for undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees was more arduous, with more diligent researchers learning the essence. Nowadays, there is a lack of diligence and focus on studies.

In the past, universities were less market-driven, whereas now it is difficult to find a pure place within schools. Marketization has impacted the thinking of school leaders, students, and most administrative workers, with thoughts dominated by money, leaving little time for research.

With the continuous development and progress of science and technology, the techniques for diploma forgery have also improved accordingly. In modern times, many positions and job roles require connections rather than just a piece of paper. Therefore, the appeal of genuine diplomas from Tianjin has decreased significantly.