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Monday, 25 January 2010
PLA on a steep learning curve with record intake of graduates
Joining the People’s Liberation Army has long been the job of choice for strapping country boys, while the vast majority of pampered university graduates turned up their noses at the thought of early morning drills and physical exertion.
PLA on a steep learning curve with record intake of graduates
Minnie Chan 05 December 2009
Joining the People’s Liberation Army has long been the job of choice for strapping country boys, while the vast majority of pampered university graduates turned up their noses at the thought of early morning drills and physical exertion.
But thanks to a weak employment market and a glut of graduates, this year a record 130,000 degree-holders will swap their white-collar dreams for starched army greens.
According to newspaper the People’s Liberation Army Daily, hundreds of thousands of university students have lined up at army barracks across the country since its recruitment drive began in May. This is a far cry from its first graduate recruitment exercise in 2001, which saw just 2,000 sign up. Last year, 39,000 graduates joined.
The PLA, the world’s largest fighting force, is desperate to attract university graduates as it seeks to become a hi-tech army befitting the world’s new superpower. The turning point came with the first Gulf war in 1991, when Deng Xiaoping decided “human wave” tactics were out and modern warfare was in. The PLA embarked on a modernisation drive that continues to this day.
China is building its first aircraft carrier and developing its answer to the US-run Global Positioning System, and has already test-fired a high-energy laser capable of knocking satellites out of the sky. All of these require an educated force.
However, recruiting so many graduates is not without its problems. PLA training officers said poor physique, a lack of self-control and shortage of team spirit were common among candidates.
“We should learn a lesson from this year’s recruitment,” the report quoted Zong Ming, the director of the university’s Military Affairs Office, as saying. “Universities have to pay closer attention to students’ physical health, while students should do more exercise and quit bad habits like chatting online or playing computer games for hours on end.”
Poor physical health was not the only challenge. Some appeared in need of toughening up.
“I can’t stop dreaming about my girlfriend,” a graduate recruit from Henan province said. “To help me concentrate, my team leader becomes my love counsellor.”
Peter Chen, a Beijing resident who spent five years in the army after leaving Peking University, said recruiting graduates would greatly help the PLA’s modernisation programme.
“I missed five years of career development opportunities, but I found I became tougher and more confident. This helped me overcome all kinds of difficulties in my life,” Chen said.
While the gloomy job market has helped the PLA, it has also enticed high-calibre recruits through financial incentives. In May, the PLA joined forces with the Ministry of Education to offer a refund of tuition fees for those who complete two years of military service.
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PLA on a steep learning curve with record intake of graduates
Minnie Chan
05 December 2009
Joining the People’s Liberation Army has long been the job of choice for strapping country boys, while the vast majority of pampered university graduates turned up their noses at the thought of early morning drills and physical exertion.
But thanks to a weak employment market and a glut of graduates, this year a record 130,000 degree-holders will swap their white-collar dreams for starched army greens.
According to newspaper the People’s Liberation Army Daily, hundreds of thousands of university students have lined up at army barracks across the country since its recruitment drive began in May. This is a far cry from its first graduate recruitment exercise in 2001, which saw just 2,000 sign up. Last year, 39,000 graduates joined.
The PLA, the world’s largest fighting force, is desperate to attract university graduates as it seeks to become a hi-tech army befitting the world’s new superpower. The turning point came with the first Gulf war in 1991, when Deng Xiaoping decided “human wave” tactics were out and modern warfare was in. The PLA embarked on a modernisation drive that continues to this day.
China is building its first aircraft carrier and developing its answer to the US-run Global Positioning System, and has already test-fired a high-energy laser capable of knocking satellites out of the sky. All of these require an educated force.
However, recruiting so many graduates is not without its problems. PLA training officers said poor physique, a lack of self-control and shortage of team spirit were common among candidates.
“We should learn a lesson from this year’s recruitment,” the report quoted Zong Ming, the director of the university’s Military Affairs Office, as saying. “Universities have to pay closer attention to students’ physical health, while students should do more exercise and quit bad habits like chatting online or playing computer games for hours on end.”
Poor physical health was not the only challenge. Some appeared in need of toughening up.
“I can’t stop dreaming about my girlfriend,” a graduate recruit from Henan province said. “To help me concentrate, my team leader becomes my love counsellor.”
Peter Chen, a Beijing resident who spent five years in the army after leaving Peking University, said recruiting graduates would greatly help the PLA’s modernisation programme.
“I missed five years of career development opportunities, but I found I became tougher and more confident. This helped me overcome all kinds of difficulties in my life,” Chen said.
While the gloomy job market has helped the PLA, it has also enticed high-calibre recruits through financial incentives. In May, the PLA joined forces with the Ministry of Education to offer a refund of tuition fees for those who complete two years of military service.
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