A recent audit at Dickinson State University in the United States will have made uncomfortable reading for parents in China.

對于中國學生家長們來說，一份于近日公布的針對美國狄克森州立大學的審查報告將令他們感到不安。

Over the last four years, the college in North Dakota had issued diplomas to 400 foreign students despite their failure to complete the required coursework.

過去四年中，這所位于美國北達科他州的學府中，有400名留學生在未能完成必修課程的條件，卻仍然拿到了大學文憑。

Roughly 95 percent of these students were Chinese.

其中，大約有95%為中國留學生。

It was just one of several controls "waived or intentionally overridden or ignored" by DSU, which has again cast a spotlight on the risks families face in paying out huge sums to have their children educated overseas.

這僅僅是狄克森州立大學在管理監督方面的漏洞之一，對于這些漏洞，該校“或置之不理，放任自流，或有意掩飾”。這一事件，也使人們關注的目光再次投向那些支付高昂費用送子女留學的家庭所面臨的種種風險之上。

Such investments often create what sociologists call “the new urban poor”.

此類的留學投資通常都會導致社會學家口中所謂的“新城市貧民”的產生。

"Parents are surrendering their last resources to wager them on a child`s future by sending them abroad," said Lao Kaisheng, an education policy researcher at Capital Normal University. "If these children don`t get the decent jobs and the salary that is expected, their parents will naturally be sucked into poverty."

首都師范大學教育政策研究員勞凱聲表示：“家長花光所有積蓄送子女出國是在拿錢賭孩子的明天。如果孩子們找不到體面的工作、沒有預期的收入，那么家長自然就身陷貧困。”

The desire to send offspring to schools overseas has existed for decades, although today it is largely fueled by the belief that it gives youngsters an advantage in the tough domestic employment market.

這種父母迫切想要送子女出國深造的情況已存在了幾十年的時間了，只不過如今，家長認為出國留學能讓孩子在競爭激烈的國內就業市場占據優勢，因此，這種想法就愈演愈烈了。

However, not many Chinese families have enough saved in the bank to cover the tuition fees and accommodation and living expenses. Instead, many are choosing to take on massive debt at a critical time in their own life.

然而，只有少數的中國家庭有足夠的積蓄來支付學費、住宿費及生活費。很多家長會選擇在自己人生的關鍵時刻背負高額債務。

It is a gamble, experts say, and the stakes are high.

專家稱，這就是一場風險很高的賭博。

"People need to think over the input and potential output, as well as the risks that any investment brings," said Zhang Jianbai, who runs a private school in Yunnan province.

云南一所私立學校校長張健柏（音譯）表示：“人們需要企業仔細考慮資金投入、潛在回報以及這項投資所帶來的風險。”

He said that parents in small cities across his southwestern province, many of whom earn just 2,000 yuan a month, often sell their apartments to fund their children`s study overseas.

他說，在云南西南部的很多小城市里，很多月收入只有2000元的家長通常會選擇賣掉房子來資助子女出國留學。

"Those who are now suffering trouble or financial difficulties would not have been in this position had they chosen a more suitable way to educate their children," he added.

他還表示：“如果這些家長能夠選擇一種更恰當的方式來教育子女，那么他們就不會像現在這樣陷入遭遇困境，遭遇經濟危機。”

Differences in quality

教育質量差異

After graduating from the university in Guangdong, Wang Jianhai was sent to Texas to get a master`s degree, which his family believed would give him an edge in the job market.

王建海（音譯）從廣東一所大學畢業后，就被送去美國德克薩斯州攻讀碩士學位。他的家人堅信這會為他將來就業提供優勢。

His father worked at an electronics factory and earned more than 10,000 yuan a month, so the adventure was not a great financial burden. However, after his return, 26-year-old Wang was no better prepared to find work.

王建海的父親在一家電子工廠上班，月收入一萬元，所以送孩子出國留學這一險招并不會帶來太大經濟負擔。但回國后，26歲的王建海在求職時可以說毫無準備。

Even his English skills had not improved, he said, as "we stayed with other Asians most of the time".

甚至就連他的英文水平也沒有進步。王建海稱，這是因為自己大多數時間都會和亞洲人呆在一起。

Eventually, his parents had to invest more money to help their only son eke out a meager living by running his own electronics store.

　　最終，王建海的父母不得不再次掏腰包資助兒子開了家電器商店，勉強維持生計。

"He hasn`t earned a penny back for us, even though we`ve taken care of him for 26 years, while other people his age might have earned more than 200,000 yuan by now," said his 66-year-old father.

王建海66歲的父親表示：“盡管他們撫養了王建海26年，但王建海沒有為他們掙回一分錢，而其他很多同齡孩子現在可能已經賺了二十萬元了。”

"We could have had a decent life after retirement with our savings, but now we`ve painted ourselves into a tight corner," he added bitterly.

他苦澀地補充道：“我們本可以靠著自己的積蓄在退休以后過上份舒適體面的生活，但現在我們深陷困境，自討苦吃。”

Although parents see an overseas education as a shortcut to success, experts argue that very few truly understand the vast differences in quality that exist among colleges in developed nations.

盡管家長們將出國留學視為一條成功的捷徑，但有關專家稱，很少有家長真正了解眾多發達國家大學在教育質量上存在巨大差異這一事實。

Zhou Xiaozheng, a sociology professor at Renmin University of China, said everybody knows Chinese parents are willing to spend money on their children, but he warned that those looking to benefit today are largely "second- and third-rate colleges that don`t offer scholarships or subsidies".

中國人大社會學教授周孝正（音譯）表示，中國家長愿意為孩子花錢這是眾所周知的事，但他也提醒說，當下那些利益為先的院校大多都是二三流的學校，它們既不提供獎學金也沒有補助。

Parents need to be reasonable, he said, as well as "clear about what they expect from the study period mental development or practical skills".

　周孝正稱，家長們需要放理智，并且弄清楚自己究竟想讓子女在留學期間的收獲些什么，是心智的成長還是實用技能的培養。