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School packed with eager seniors
It seems that getting into college for senior citizens in Ningbo is much harder than getting through the national college entrance exam. During the application period, it was a common scene for many seniors to have to wait all night at college doors so they could sign up for the next semester. That was the scene last Sunday in this eastern coastal city, where at 6 am, about 1,000 elderly citizens had gathered to try to gain the 400 seats available in calligraphy and painting courses. And more and more seniors swarmed to the four-floor school building in a residential area. The course was fully booked in just two hours, however, with the late-comers who failed to get into the classes refusing to leave. Some even cried, and called a local newspaper hotline for help. The scene left Zhang Wenpu very worried. In some popular courses like computer applications, more than 10 people had to compete for one spot in a class, the vice-president of the college said. "I feel sad that so many aged people who are eager to learn cannot enter our college, but the capacity of the school is limited." Zhang said the college has grown rapidly since it was established in 1985 offering just one course. It now features 143 courses in 61 majors, but it still cannot meet the demands of the increasing elderly population. The number of students has increased from 142 the first year to more than 6,000. This year, it plans to enroll more than 8,000. But in Ningbo, there are more than 800,000 aged people. "If only 10 per cent of them, that is 80,000, want to enter the college after retirement, the capacity of our school would be further strained," Zhang said. The college for senior citizens is sponsored by the local government and each student only pays to 100 yuan (US$12) a year. Zhang said, the school receives 500,000 yuan (US$60,000) a year from the government. "Our college expansion plan is still on the paper due to the lack of money," he said. The society pays much attention to the education for young people but ignore the need of this group.'' |
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