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At the ongoing annual meetings of Guangdong's lawmakers and advisers, delegates from Shenzhen have proposed the establishment of more institutions of higher learning in the city be included in the province's new five-year program.

Jiang Tanyu, secretary of the Shenzhen University Committee of the CPC and a member of the provincial committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, even proposed Wednesday that the provincial government consider relocating a prestigious Guangzhou university to Shenzhen, as it takes years, even decades, to build a reputed university.

Shenzhen, while thriving economically, has a far less impressive record in higher education. The city contributes 23 percent of the province's GDP, but the number of its higher learning institutions only accounts for less than 10 percent of the province's total.

Most of the province's universities are located in Guangzhou.

Among the 10 colleges in Shenzhen, only three of them, namely Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Polytechnic and Shenzhen Information Technology Institute, have complete organizations.

The need for more and better colleges has become urgent with the city government's decision to put the onus on innovation, Jiang said in a panel discussion.

To improve the city's competitiveness, Jiang also suggested the provincial government encourage well-known universities in Guangdong, Hong Kong and other parts of the country to set up departments or laboratories in Shenzhen.

Li Yi, another adviser, echoed Jiang's views, saying the provincial government should divert more higher education resources to Shenzhen.

Editor: Yan