Research on the Problems and Countermeasures of Government Supervision in the Operation of Chinese Private Universities

In China, as higher education popularizes, private higher education gains prominence. The Chinese government amends relevant laws like the “Law on Promoting Private Education” for its development. Yet, in private university operations, despite extensive government supervision covering access, etc., the outcome is subpar, making supervision optimization a public concern. This paper uses literature research and interviews to analyze government supervision. It expounds on the necessity from educational diversity and market failure risks, while noting theoretical issues like the public-profit attribute conflict and unclear supervision boundaries. By assessing the legal, subject, and model status quo, it pinpoints problems: scant social involvement, external-over-internal focus, and means-over-service emphasis. Root cause analysis reveals an imperfect, vaguely defined supervision system. Comparative study of the US and Japan offers insights. Finally, it suggests the Chinese government build comprehensive feedback, third-party evaluation, and coordinated supervision mechanisms. In conclusion, private universities’ public welfare remains beneath their for-profit facade. The Chinese government must supervise to fix market failures and boost quality. Adopting new public management, it can introduce competition, free university autonomy, and refine internal governance. Given the nascent stage and classified management, the government should erect all-round, stakeholder-inclusive, third-party-assisted supervision.