Official checks should come as a surprise
- Source: Global Times
- [21:00 February 02 2010]
- Comments
By Eric Fish
A brightly lit campus, spotless roads, meticulously neat dorm rooms, wonderful cafeteria food, and classrooms without a single tardy or absent student; normally the university I work at has none of these things, but for one week in 2008 they had all of this and more. The universi-ty was having a routine inspection by its supervision agency.
The inspection, which all Chinese universities must undergo every five years, decides whether one would remain accredited and retain its national rank. The inspection was planned months in advance ensuring that the whole place could be thoroughly spruced up by the time the inspectors arrived.
This kind of inspection is the norm among Chinese universities.
Schools have months to prepare for the inspection and, in the days leading up to inspectors' arrival, any unpleasant loose-ends are swept under the rug. Teachers and students alike are given a list of special rules to follow during inspection week that give the impression of diligence and active learning.
All kinds of elevators, fountains, lights, and other facilities that are never used will make a brief appearance, only to be permanently turned off after the inspection.
Lavish banquets are planned for inspectors each evening and some universities go so far as to have expensive gifts, such as laptop computers, ready to give inspectors.
Common sense would dictate that only surprise inspections could get close to the truth of how an institution actually works. But token inspections made with notice happen every day in China, and they're not confined to universities.
Often entire cities have planned inspections. In 2008 Nanjing was making a bid to receive the coveted "National Civilized City" distinction given by the Office of the Spiritual Civilization Development.
The department made a planned inspection that lasted for several weeks and during this time many conspicuous changes occurred. Street-side food vendors, fake DVD shops, and beggars all seemingly disappeared.
Meanwhile, hundreds of traffic wardens and visible police officers suddenly surfaced and the city's streets had never been cleaner.
On January 20, the city was granted the illustrious title in a high profile ceremony. Plaques were exchanged, photos were taken, inspectors' bellies were filled, and Nanjing officials gained lots of face, as well as political points. The only people noticeably void of any tangible benefit were the residents of Nanjing.
Days later, the DVD shops and vendors were back and the traffic wardens were gone. Everything was exactly as it had been weeks earlier. Residents of Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Nanning have all experienced similar exercises in futility.
Some cities take planned inspection preparations to the extreme. Last year in Henan Province, one city even quickly put up buildings showcasing the city's development.
