Chinese college opens controversial diploma program on "martial guards"

A Chinese college in south China's Guangdong Province plans to offer a four-year diploma program of Martial Guard to meet market demand while some argued it is unnecessary.

The Foshan Institute of Technology, in Foshan City, will recruit its first group of Martial Guard students in July. Students will learn courses such as boxing, Chinese martial arts, computer, courses on being secretary, criminal investigation and laws, according to the college authorities.

Security guard has been accepted as a profession for just few years in China, and market demand for security guards are huge as more and more government departments, enterprises and organizations preferred to hire guards to minimize security risk.

The overwhelming majority of security guard employees, however, was people from rural areas who received little education, mostly were middle school graduates or below. It was rare to see any college graduates take up the job and none of colleges or universities in the country have ever offered such program.

According to local educational experts in Guangdong, what the college will do is purely catering for the market demand and is quite "commercial" in nature. At present most enterprises will require no certificates, nor diplomas, in enrolling security guards, but many will prefer those ex-servicemen. A personnel manager who did not give the name said, the job for security guards is simple and does not necessarily require employees with higher education.

But officials of the Foshan Institute of Technology argued that people currently working as security guards received no systematic and professional education and their overall personal quality was lower. The opening of the program will hopefully train high-quality security guards who master not only martial arts but also office management work as well, according to officials.

Source: Xinhua