Ministry defends gender ratio for studies

Amid recent media reports that some colleges are setting different entrance scores for male and female students, the Ministry of Education replied that it's "based on consideration for national interests" for some colleges to adjust the sex ratio in some majors, Beijing Times reported Wednesday.

Renmin University of China and Shanghai International Studies University published their entrance requirement scores, which set the bar higher for female students, sometimes 50 points higher, according to a Xinhua report in July.

Women's rights activist Lv Pin and lawyer Huang Yizhi petitioned the Education Ministry on July 9, demanding they reveal which colleges and which majors got approval to control the sex ratio and the reasoning behind it.

They got replies on Aug 23 and 24, in which the Ministry said they "always safeguard equal education rights for both sexes, and colleges could not set up sex ratios without the Ministry's approval."

The replies added that "considering national interests, some colleges can adjust the sex ratio in some majors, in order to train special talents for some special industries or posts. This complies with the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women."

The Ministry did not explain the standards for "special talents" or "special industries" and how these are connected to "national interests", Lv said.