XIE CHUANJIAO

JINAN: A new university has been set up in Shandong by merging three separate institutions.

The scheme, approved by the Ministry of Education, is a coalition of the former Shandong University, Shandong Medical University and Shandong Polytechnic University.

Chen Zhili, minister of education, said the move was part of a new trend in higher education. The new Shandong University, in East China's Shandong Province, will be an all-round school that covers more subjects in greater depth.

The merger will allow the three old universities to learn from each other and attain a higher-level. Chen stressed the move would help the province achieve its goal of becoming prosperous in the science and technology fields.

The Ministry of Education will direct investment towards the university in coming years to build it into one of the country's best institutions, according to Chen.

The former Shandong University was one of the key universities under the Ministry of Education. Many famous Chinese teachers had taught or studied there since it was established in 1901. It was the biggest of the three institutions which have formed the new university.

The new Shandong University will have nine subject areas. It has 43 doctoral programmes and eight post-doctoral study courses.

It boasts an area of more than 333 hectares. It has 26,975 students, including 2904 taking master's courses. There are 7,922 teachers, including 718 professors.

The new school will be operated by the Ministry of Education and Shandong provincial government.

Zhan Tao, president of the new university, said the school hoped to become one of the best universities in China within 10 to 15 years.