Local government's recent efforts put on the introduction of overseas Chinese scholars is seemingly paying off as the number is growing rapidly in the city, yet the offspring of the returned population, apparently, can't find a niche in the local educational system.

An incentive suggested yesterday by an inspection panel sent by the Standing Committee of SPC is expected to ease the crisis anyway someday in the future.

"We can find new way out taking into account both the market economy and the support from the preferential policies," some members of the panel said.

The panel was studying the achievements of local government's talent introduction project in universities and institutions, when they found out the biggest barrier for the project has been the accomodation of the offspring of the returned scholars.

"What if we set up bi-lingual schools with proper tuition, say, not very high tuition, in the neighborhood of the returned scholars, or establish new spin-off campuses of existing quality schools at these blocks," they suggested, indicating that the Commission of Science and Technology and the Educational Department can both help in the pursuit.

The children of the returned scholars always lag behind in Chinese literature, maths, chemistry and physics in conventional Chinese-language education. Their overseas background in childhood accomodates them most comfortably in local bi-lingual schools. But the high cost has prevented most institutions and universities, who are the sole financial sponsors of the families of the returned scholars.

Therefore, if affordable and quality bi-lingual schools in their neighborhood are set up, it must be bliss to both the academia and the scholars.