Decentralisation and marketisation of adult and continuing education: A Chinese case study

Tsinghua University in Beijing, a leading Chinese university, has emerged as a pioneer in the decentralisation and marketisation of adult and continuing education in China. Recent development at Tsinghua has had a significant influence on the ways in which other universities in China have approached change. The university has decentralised power to the (continuing education) school level, implemented a corporate style of management and adopted market-driven programme development and management. This paper explores the ways in which decentralisation and marketisation has reshaped the provision of adult and continuing education at Tsinghua University, and its implications for China's higher educational institutions. After examining both the promise and the perils of adopting Western models for application in a diversity of Chinese contexts, the paper suggests that the decentralisation and marketisation of adult and continuing education in China will not lead to the complete withdrawal of government control over this sector of the educational system for both practical and political reasons. This Chinese case study therefore helps to improve theoretical understanding of the process of globalisation and the fact that the globalisation of neo-liberal decentralisation and marketisation does not necessarily imply or lead to homogenisation in policy or practice.