The State Council, China's cabinet, recently stopped the practice of issuing qualification certificates for 11 professions such as realty agents and public chartered accountants. It is a good move, says an article in Legal Daily, because it will solve the problems created by too many college students spending their precious time to get these certificates. Excerpts:

Since the system of granting qualification certificate for professions was written into law in 1994, many new fields have emerged and the fever of getting certificates for them has gripped campuses across the country. Many college students complain that they are so busy preparing for such exams that they hardly get time for their real academic studies.

Qualification certificates may be necessary for some special professions, but the craze among college students to get one for one profession or the other reflects poorly on the system. Many of the qualification certificates have low thresholds and those who hold them do not enjoy much advantage over others.

Worse, some of the exams for qualification certificates cost thousands of yuan, which is a big financial burden for many students. Behind such abnormality are the interests of authorized institutions, which make money by exploiting the certificate system.

That's why the recent move of the State Council is welcome. According to the remarks of an official, the government will gradually phase out the unnecessary certificate issuing systems and regulate those that are needed by, for example, keeping costs within certain limits. Hopefully, the decision is implemented as early as possible so that college students can breathe a sigh of relief.