80 Per Cent Rich Chinese Send Kids To Study Abroad

By Niam Seet Wei BEIJING, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- Up to 80 per cent of the wealthy Chinese send their children to study abroad, ranking it as the highest ratio in the world, says the Hurun Report. In the case of Japan, less than one per cent of the rich Japanese send their children to study overseas, while less than five per cent of the wealthy French and less than 10 per cent of rich Germans do likewise, said the Shanghai-based publishing group in its 'China Overseas Study 2014' report. The United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia remain as the first choices for the rich Chinese parents for their children's education, followed by Switzerland, New Zealand, Singapore, France and Germany, it said. The report showed that last year, the number of Chinese students studying abroad rose to 413,900, up by 3.58 per cent or 14,300 people from a year earlier. It said the average age of Chinese multi-millionaires' children heading abroad was 18, while for the Chinese billionaires, the average age stood at 16. “For Chinese parents intending to send their children to study abroad at a younger age, particularly for those who hope to enrol in a famous school, it is better to prepare them at age 11,” the report quoted founder and managing director of BE Education, William Vanbergen as saying. BE Education is an international education company established to help students in China gain entry into schools and universities in the UK, US, and Switzerland. -- BERNAMA