LINGUISTIC TOLERANCE IN THE PROCESS OF INTERNATIONALIZATION OF CHINA HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE NEW ERA
LINGUISTIC TOLERANCE IN THE PROCESS OF INTERNATIONALIZATION OF CHINA HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE NEW ERA

Summary/Abstract: This paper contends that China higher education has become one of the most attractive academic hubs for citizens of developing and developed nations. Empirical evidences show that the opening up policy and the spread of Confucius institutes in the world support China higher education breakthrough. More importantly linguistic tolerance that is practiced during the selection process of international students and officials to undertake short or long exchange programs in Chinese institutions may account for the rapid internationalization of China higher education. The researcher has used content analysis of grants and scholarship offers to Chinese universities, related policy papers and statements to discover that the Chinese government gives a place of choice to students and workers of developing countries through the medium of many English-taught programs at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. In addition, the researcher has used the interview to collect some data from scholarship awardees. This was done in a bid to find out their impressions about English language requirements to be fulfilled by candidates for the award of various scholarships and short training programs in Chinese universities. The analysis of interviewees’ verbatim strongly supports the claim that China higher education attracts more talents thanks to more tolerant and flexible linguistic requirements applied during the selection process. Owing to this new vision of higher education in China, it is recommended that more top ranking universities in the West, which use English as foreign or second language, must emulate China example and offer more flexible linguistic requirements for English-taught programs to talents from developing nations. This will undoubtedly foster academic mobility and inclusive development of the world in this new era.

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