Lawmaker proposes raising conscription age to cover college graduates
13/3/2006 17:13
A Chinese lawmaker said the ceiling of conscription age should be raised
to recruit outstanding college graduates into the armed forces.
The existing
conscription law stipulates that Chinese male citizens between 18 and 22 years
of age are subject to military recruitment. In this sense, most college
graduates are kept outside the threshold.
"As more and more youths go to
college, the number of recruiting candidates is decreasing," said Xia He, a
deputy to the National People's Congress, the national legislature, explaining
that students in full-time school education can be exempted from
conscription.
He proposed that relevant clauses of the conscription law be
revised to conform to the current situation, so as to absorb more outstanding
young people into the army.
"The scope of conscription age should be
readjusted from 18-22 to 18-25 to draft college graduates, especially those with
expertise," said Xia, who is also a senior officer of China's armed
police.
He said the government should also promulgate policies to encourage
college students and graduates to join the army, allowing them to continue
college studies after their services, exempting or reducing their tuition, and
helping them find jobs after military service.
Xinhua
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