Communist Party of China (CPC) authorities and the Ministry of Education (MOE) recently issued a joint document to further strengthen the work of recruiting, educating and managing of student Party members, while warning of weak links in such areas.

The document, which was issued by the CPC Central Committee's organization department and publicity department as well as the MOE, urges colleges to place the utmost importance to political standards in recruiting Party members. It demanded a control on the "number and structure" of student Party members.

The document came against the backdrop of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee suggesting earlier this year that the Party should be kept at "an appropriate scale" allowing it to maintain a desirable structure and ensure the high quality of its members.

In an interview posted on the MOE's website on Monday, an unidentified official at the ministry claimed "students' enthusiasm for the Party position keeps growing," and the number of college student Party members had reached 2,905,000 by the end of 2012, with the number of student Party branches hitting 86,788.

However, the official noted that there are some weak links in recruiting, educating and administrating student Party members. "Some Party organizations on campus are lax in guaranteeing the quality of student Party members during the recruitment process," the official said, adding that "A few students hold improper motives for joining the Party and the political quality of a small number of Party members is low."

It is much easier to obtain Party membership while in college than it is after joining the workforce. While official materials hold up grand ideological motives for joining the Party, it is seen by some students as a shortcut to better jobs and forging personal connections.

The document demanded college Party organizations focus on candidates' all-round quality instead of only paying attention to their academic performance during the recruiting process, and highlighted the importance of investigating candidates' political background.

It also vowed that those who fail to guarantee the quality of students admitted to the Party will be held accountable.