WILL THEY STAY?: Students in Hefei celebrating after completing their college entrance exams in June. Findings from a new survey attest to China's brain drain problem. -- PHOTO: AFP

The findings attest to China's severe brain drain problem, which has raised fears that there may not be enough talent around to manage the world's fourth-largest economy.

The survey by the China Alumni Association tracked 130 top scorers at college entrance exams from 1977 to 1998.

Forty per cent of the respondents said they chose to go abroad for their studies and most of them settled down in foreign countries after graduation.

These top scorers were referred to as zhuang yuan - a title reserved for the top scholar in imperial examinations - and were hailed by local media as examples for young Chinese.

Statistics from Unesco show that China sends more students abroad than any other country in the world.

Chinese students have made up 14 per cent of international students worldwide over the years.

The United States, Britain and Japan are their most popular destinations for higher education.

Of the 1.06 million Chinese students and scholars who have studied overseas since 1978 - when China embarked on its policy of reform and opened up its economy - only about 280,000 have returned.

Interestingly, China has emerged as a top host country for international students, with enrolment figures surging 213 per cent from 1999 to 2005.

Handsome scholarships, better employment prospects and more opportunities to pursue further studies are the main reasons why the students chose to go overseas, experts say.

Professor Cai Yanhou with the Changsha-based Central South University, who led a team to conduct the survey, said the government should find better ways to woo these people back.

The Chinese government has paid much attention to reversing the brain drain in recent years.

In March, 16 central government offices came together to offer preferential treatment for 'advanced-level' talent such as internationally established researchers, pioneers or team leaders in specific research areas returning from overseas.

Benefits include, but are not limited to, a good salary, bonuses and state research funds, as well as job and education privileges for their spouses and children.

But Prof Cai also pointed out that 'top in exams' did not mean 'top in career', as the survey found that none of the top scorers at college entrance exams became China's top experts or academics.

XINHUA