高等教育大众化和普及化的中国路径及其质量问题

Massification and Popularization of Higher Education in China:Strategies for Leapfrogging Development and Quality Assurance

从20世纪80年代起,中国高等教育在规模控制和增长之间经历了一个摸索的过程,最终在21世纪以超常规的跨越式路径相继迈入大众化和普及化阶段。这样的发展方式和速度在世界高等教育史上独一无二,显示了中国高等教育的独特优势,也远远超出了马丁·特罗三阶段论所能解释的范围。但是,规模的跨越式增长会加大高等教育数量和质量之间的张力,形成对质量的威胁。提高普及化阶段的高等教育质量,需要运用必要的行政手段,但归根结底需要教育者的职业良知来保障。深化高等教育管理体制改革、实现高等教育治理体系和治理能力的现代化,是呵护教育者职业良知、保障高等教育质量的关键。

Over the past 20 years,China’s higher education has undergone radical and unprecedented expansion,moving from the stage of“elite access”into the stage of“massification”or“popularization”.Such leapfrogging development,quite different from Martin Throw’s elite-mass-universal triptych theory,is a unique occurrence unparalleled in the history of higher education development worldwide.However,there is also rising tension between enrollment expansion and quality assurance.To achieve quality in higher education in the current post-massification stage,it is necessary to modernize and improve our higher education governance and administration,and at the same time,strengthen the professional ethics of teachers in colleges and universities as well.