Coeducation

Coeducation is the integrated education of men and women. Coed is an informal term for a female student at a coeducational college or university. Before coeducation became predominant, most important institutions of higher education restricted their enrollment to men. Women were educated in all-female schools, if at all.

Coeducation in China

The first coeducational institution of higher learning in China was the Nanjing Higher Normal Institute, now Nanjing University. For thousands of years in China, education, especially higher education, was the privilege of men. In the 1910s women's universities were established such as Ginling Women's University, Peking Girl's Higher Normal School, but coeducation was still prohibited. Tao Xingzhi, the Chinese advocator of coeducation, proposed The Audit Law for Women Students (《規定女子旁聽法案》) on the meeting of Nanjing Higher Normal Institute hold on December 7th, 1919. He also proposed the university to recruit girl students. They were supported by the president Guo Bingwen, academic director Liu Boming and such famous professors Lu Zhiwei, Yang Xingfo, and were opposed by many famous men of the time. Finally, the meeting passed the law and decided to recruit women students next year. Nanjing Higher Normal Institute enrolled eight coeducational Chinese women students in 1920. In the same year Peking University also began to allow women audit students. The most notable girl student of that time may be Chien-Shiung Wu.

Related Topics:
China - Nanjing Higher Normal Institute - Nanjing University - Ginling Women's University - Peking Girl's Higher Normal School - Tao Xingzhi - Guo Bingwen - Liu Boming - Lu Zhiwei - Yang Xingfo - Peking University - Chien-Shiung Wu

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After 1949, when the Communist Party of China controlled mainland China, almost all schools and universities became coeducational. In recent years, however, many girl schools and women colleges have again emerged.

Related Topics:
1949 - Communist Party of China - Mainland China

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