The national student loan is a bank loan led by the government, with financial subsidies and certain risks borne by the finance and universities. It is jointly operated by banks, education administrative departments and universities to help students from poor families in universities pay for tuition, accommodation and living expenses during their study. The national student loan is a credit loan. Students do not need to apply for loan guarantee or mortgage, but they must promise to repay on time and bear relevant legal responsibilities.

Since the national student loan was piloted in 2000 1999 and implemented in China, its scale and scope have been continuously expanded, and the total amount of loans has been continuously increased, which has solved the practical difficulties of a large number of college students from poor families, and has become the main way in the university education funding system, and has also effectively promoted the process of popularization of higher education in China. Since the implementation of the national student loan policy, it has undergone many adjustments. Among them, the policy promulgated in June 2004 is called the new policy. The new policy has made major adjustments to the original policy from eight aspects: financial discount, repayment period and determination of the handling bank. The most important thing is to establish a national student loan risk compensation mechanism, and give appropriate compensation to the handling bank by setting up a special fund for student loan risk compensation.

In 2006 and 2007, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and other departments successively issued the national student loan compensation subsidy method and the student source credit student loan, in order to further improve the operating mechanism of the national student loan and promote the work of the national student loan. After the implementation of the new national student loan policy, with the joint efforts of the government, banks and universities for several years, the loan amount and the number of loans have increased rapidly and progressed smoothly. At the same time, there are still many problems in the implementation of the national student loan. Some localities and banks are still "skeptical" about the national student loan, some universities are unable to implement the loan undertaking bank, and a considerable number of poor students, especially local universities, are still unable to obtain loans, which is far from the expectations of the government and all walks of life. In 2005, the Ministry of Education even publicly criticized eight provinces and cities that failed in the loan work, and vigorously promoted the national student loan with the help of administrative intervention, which aroused strong repercussions in society. How to change the guiding ideology, strengthen the system construction, improve the operating mechanism, and promote the sustainable development of national student loans has become an important topic before us.

First, the main problems existing in the current national student loan

After the implementation of the new national student loan policy, compared with the old policy, the total amount and scale of loans have increased rapidly, the contradiction between supply and demand has been alleviated, and the uneven distribution of regions and institutions has been greatly corrected, but the deep-seated problems have not been solved, which are highlighted in the following two aspects.

(A) the commercialization of policy loans is the fundamental reason that hinders the healthy development of student loans.

The national student loan undertakes the policy objectives of ensuring equal educational opportunities, maintaining the stability of universities and society, and helping students with financial difficulties to successfully complete their studies. The initial national student loan is a commercial loan in the form of guarantee, which is included in the normal loan management of banks. With the continuous improvement and adjustment of policies, national student loans have evolved from commercial loans to policy loans. The nature of policy loans is increasingly obvious, but it is not a complete policy loan. It can be said that the national student loan has the dual characteristics of commercial and policy coexistence. On the one hand, the national student loan is a kind of credit loan for students, which does not need mortgage and guarantee; The loan interest of students in school is all subsidized by the financial department; The cycle of student loans is relatively long; The loan interest rate is subject to the national legal interest rate, and the above four points are obviously in line with the characteristics of policy loans. On the other hand, the actual operation of national student loans is handed over to commercial banks, and students themselves borrow from banks. Students must abide by the general principles of loans, the contract law and other laws and regulations, and repay the loan principal and interest in full and on time in accordance with the loan contract. If they break the contract, they will bear the corresponding economic and legal responsibilities.

It is precisely because the national student loan has obvious policy characteristics, but the commercialization model is adopted in actual operation, which leads to various contradictions and conflicts, and then affects the smooth implementation of the student loan policy. Under the grim situation that students are generally in arrears, colleges and universities have high hopes for national student loans, hoping to alleviate the problem of tuition arrears through them, and tend to ignore other usual funding policies. Students and parents unilaterally think that the national student loan is a poverty alleviation fund and a welfare, and the loan application is enthusiastic but the repayment is slow. Considering the risks, costs and benefits, the motivation for commercial banks to handle national student loans is not the attraction of the business itself, but the pressure from the government. At the same time, they hope to start with the national student loan and carry out settlement accounts, campus cards and other related businesses with cooperative universities, which will make commercial banks more enthusiastic about student loans and slow the growth of loan balance. Another obvious contradiction is that the operation of student loans is always inseparable from government intervention. In 2005, the Ministry of Education criticized eight provinces and cities for failing to implement student loans, and then the criticized provinces and cities quickly took action, which is obvious evidence that administrative forces intervened in the national student loans. Even in the provinces where student loans are very developed, it is because those local governments attach great importance to student loans.

(B) The design of the operating mechanism of the national student loan is unreasonable. Lack of systematicness and operability

At present, the government mainly relies on risk compensation to mobilize the enthusiasm of banks. However, risk compensation itself also faces difficulties. Although risk compensation has greatly reduced the risk of banks, the risk of loans has not been finally solved, but has shifted to finance and universities at all levels, increasing the burden on finance and universities at all levels. The more loans that occurred in that year, the more special funds for risk compensation that were undertaken by governments at all levels and universities. As far as local finance is concerned, the financial affordability of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government is different, and there are great differences among regions; As far as local colleges and universities are concerned, their funds are already very tight and they are unable to bear the risk compensation of national student loans. In economically underdeveloped provinces such as Inner Mongolia and Gansu, many children in basic education are facing the possibility of dropping out of school. In this case, it is obviously unreasonable to ask these provinces to give priority to the risk compensation and financial discount of student loans.

2. In order to prevent students from maliciously defaulting on loans, the new mechanism of student loans has a great influence on national financial management departments and banks; The responsibilities of the National Student Financial Assistance Management Center, universities and public security departments are all explained in detail. However, these regulations are not systematic and operable, and it is difficult to form a systematic synergy, which has a very limited impact on students' breach of contract. First of all, at present, China's personal credit information system is far from being established, let alone perfect, which makes it difficult for banks to collect loans from loan graduates and the cost is high. Secondly, in the case of high default rate, the Student Financial Assistance Management Center simply has no ability to publish all students who have breached the contract in the news media and the website of the national college graduates' academic qualifications inquiry system, because it requires huge information publishing costs, and even if it is published, it will have no practical impact on students. Thirdly, the new mechanism requires colleges and universities to establish an information inquiry management system for students who borrow from their own schools, strengthen the post-loan management of students, and provide the information of students who borrow in time to the National Student Financial Assistance Management Center and the handling bank according to their affiliation. In fact, after students graduate, colleges and universities simply don't have enough ability to supervise students' whereabouts. Of course, the power to urge students to repay loans is minimal. Finally, before the citizen's personal credit system is established, the public security department can't know whether the graduates are in arrears or not, and can't do anything about the students' default. It is difficult to cooperate with the bank to check the identity of students who violate the contract.

Second, the basic ideas and principles to promote the sustainable development of national student loans

(A) the basic idea

1 change the guiding ideology and change moral credit loans into legal credit loans. As mentioned above, due to the nature and operating mechanism of the national student loan, banks provide loans more for national policy and moral considerations. The author believes that this is not a long-term solution. We should turn this moral credit loan for students with financial difficulties into legal credit loans and implement the national student loan with legal binding mechanism. In order to improve the "default cost" of college students, moral sense should not be the main force restricting students' repayment. Students' repayment obligation can not be maintained by "gratitude complex", but the obligations behind enjoying rights and the possible legal responsibilities arising therefrom must be clearly defined. In the design and operation of the specific system, the government can't shirk its responsibility, let alone be absent, otherwise the rights of all parties involved in student loans will be damaged.

2. Establish Scientific Outlook on Development, take the construction of operation mechanism as the basic point, and take the development road of giving priority to quality. The national student loan should consider China's economic and social development, economic restructuring and higher education system reform as a whole, develop step by step in a coordinated way, avoid the bad tendency of blindly pursuing scale and passivity, and try to avoid the reciprocating cycle of formulating policies, implementing policies, appearing problems and improving policies in the short term. From the perspective of development, a good operating mechanism and a sound structural system are the basis for the sustained and stable development of national student loans. At present, the focus of the national student loan should be the reconstruction of its mechanism and system, rather than the temporary increase in the number of students and loan funds. Only by paying attention to practical results and adhering to the development path of giving priority to quality can we truly realize the sustainable development of national student loans.

(2) Basic principles

1 The principle of combining cost sharing with ability to pay. To implement the national student loan policy, we should try our best to achieve a certain balance between education cost sharing and social equity, try our best to design flexible policies for families with limited economic income, fully consider the repayment ability of lenders, and avoid being divorced from reality.

2 The principle of combining fairness and efficiency. As far as fairness is concerned, it is necessary to expand the scope of application of national student loans, including poor students with nationally recognized diplomas in private colleges and independent colleges. As far as efficiency is concerned, it is necessary to implement state guarantee for national student loans, resolve bank risks, mobilize the enthusiasm of banks, and make banks willing to lend.

3 the principle of orderly management. To promote the smooth development of national student loans, we must optimize the management system of national student loans, strengthen leadership and coordination, implement scientific and orderly management of national student loans, prohibit departments from introducing or modifying relevant policies without authorization, prevent departments from acting in their own way, and effectively improve the effectiveness of policy implementation.

Third, to promote the sustainable development of national student loans policy recommendations

In view of the problems existing in the implementation of the current national student loan policy, according to the above ideas and principles, it is suggested that the current national student loan policy should be reformed and improved accordingly.

(A) to speed up the national student loan legislation

With the popularization of higher education and the expansion of the scale of student loans, it is urgent to define the operation of student loans more clearly through legal channels. It is suggested that government documents such as Regulations on the Administration of National Student Loans (for Trial Implementation) and Several Opinions on Further Improving the Work of National Student Loans be integrated and upgraded into the National Student Loan Law, which accurately defines the nature of national student loans and stipulates the sources of funds, issuing institutions, loan application procedures, loan types, repayment methods, relief conditions, legal responsibilities, etc. of national student loans, so as to make the management and operation of loans have laws to follow and reduce management costs. Relevant state departments should comprehensively sum up the experience of student loan information systems in Shanghai, Guangdong and other places, and establish a nationwide networked national student loan information system as soon as possible. On this basis, a personal credit law is formulated, and a personal credit consultation system is gradually established nationwide. The rights and obligations of banks and lenders, the formation, management, disclosure and punishment responsibilities of credit records involved in credit consumption are regulated and determined in legal form, and compulsory external constraints such as economic sanctions and legal sanctions for college students' lack of credit are effectively strengthened.

(two) to further improve the national student loan management system and operation mechanism.

In view of the nature of the national student loan at this stage, it is suggested that the national student loan should be handled by policy banks, with the help of China Development Bank and the establishment of China Education Bank. With the approval of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, in 2005, China Development Bank first launched a pilot program of student-origin student loans in Henan Province, and then launched national student loans in Shanxi, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and other provinces. The achievements made by China Development Bank in the national student loan business are worthy of recognition, which has accumulated valuable experience for setting up special banks to handle the national student loan business. In the long run, China Education Bank can be established on the basis of the National Student Financial Assistance Management Center. As a policy bank, it specializes in education savings and student loans. The government will fully allocate funds. In addition to self-funded student loans, you can also entrust commercial banks to act as agents. The Education Bank has formed a principal-agent relationship with the loan undertaking bank, and at the same time, it has carried out special supervision and guidance on its agency business, effectively solving many institutional contradictions and interest distribution obstacles formed by commercial banks in handling policy loan business at present, and stimulating the enthusiasm of banks.

In order to reduce the risk of banks and effectively mobilize the enthusiasm of local governments, banks and universities, it is suggested to cancel the special fund for risk compensation of national student loans and establish a national student loan guarantee fund, which is specially used for the guarantee of student loans and the write-off of bad debts, so that the loan risks are shared by the state and banks, in which the state bears the main risks and the banks bear the secondary risks, changing the "implicit supplement" of the state to the banks into "explicit supplement", which is completely in line with reality. The sources of funds for the national student loan guarantee fund can be considered as: special government appropriation, tax extraction, donations from social organizations and individuals, and issuance of educational lottery tickets. , can be entrusted to China Education Development Fund management.

(C) to develop flexible and diverse student loan policies

On the basis of existing policies, we will further intensify the reform and realize the diversified development of student loans. The first is to provide more loan projects. In addition to the existing national student loans and student-origin student loans, some new loan types can be introduced, such as national student loans, student parents' guaranteed loans and mortgage loans, and college students' entrusted loans. The second is to expand the main body of loan issuance. In addition to the four major commercial banks, joint-stock banks and policy banks, city commercial banks, rural credit cooperatives and various foundations can all participate in the issuance of national student loans. The third is to adopt flexible repayment methods. Appropriately extend the repayment period, adjust the loan interest rate accordingly, encourage students to repay in advance during school, and allow students to repay by one-time repayment, installment repayment and gradual repayment after graduation to improve the loan recovery rate. The fourth is to reasonably determine the loan amount. The "one size fits all" standard of 6,000 yuan per person per year should be abolished, and students should be treated differently according to their local economic development level and education level, and the grades should be appropriately opened. The fifth is to expand the scope of compensatory funding. Full-time junior college students, graduate students and fresh graduates of the second bachelor's degree in local universities should also be included in the application scope of compensation funding. Volunteers in the western region of the Communist Youth League and those who voluntarily join the army after graduation should also be considered to be included in the scope of compensation and funding.

(D) Continuously improve the financial aid system for poor college students.

In 2007, after the promulgation and implementation of the State Council's Opinions on Establishing and Perfecting the Financial Aid Policy System for Students from Poor Families in Colleges, Higher Vocational Schools and Secondary Vocational Schools and its supporting measures, the state established a financial aid policy system for students from poor families in colleges and universities in the higher education stage, including national scholarships, national inspirational scholarships, national grants, national student loans, free education for normal students, work-study programs, tuition remission and other forms. Among them, the national student loan system is the main way to solve the problem of poor students in colleges and universities, and occupies a major position in the financial aid system for poor students in colleges and universities. At present, on the one hand, we should integrate and optimize various funding methods to avoid repeated funding; On the other hand, we should give full play to the power of social assistance, constantly explore funding channels, reduce the pressure of national student loans, and help students with financial difficulties to enter school and complete their studies smoothly.

1 Actively formulate the "subsidy package" policy. In China's existing financial aid system for poor college students, there are national scholarships, national inspirational scholarships, national grants, national student loans, free education for normal students, work-study programs and so on. There are specific funding targets, funding quotas and calculation methods. On this basis, we can learn from the "funding package" policy of the United States and combine the actual situation in China to clarify the relationship between projects in the funding system and optimize the existing funding projects such as awards, loans, assistance, supplements and reductions. Ensure that the most difficult students get the most help; Determine which students should receive scholarships and grants, which students can get tuition remission, and the amount of financial aid each student receives during his or her stay at school. Through the multi-mixed funding model, every student with financial difficulties can get financial aid commensurate with their difficulties, so that more poor students can get financial aid, making the financial aid system for poor students in colleges and universities in China more scientific, perfect and effective.

Encourage the establishment of "service contract scholarships". Drawing on the successful experience of western countries, we encourage all sectors of society to set up "service contract scholarships" in colleges and universities, so that recipients can receive designated training and engage in designated jobs after graduation, as a reward for investors, on the one hand, helping poor students complete their studies, on the other hand, reducing employment pressure. At present, the Armed Police Force has set up national defense students' training bases in relevant universities, recruited national defense students independently, provided some financial support through national defense students' scholarships every year, conducted regular military training for national defense students, and required them to work in the army after graduation. This is the form.

3. Broaden the channels of work-study programs. Colleges and universities can learn from the traditional China society's practice of "taking work as relief" and combine their own work needs to establish operating work-study bases with work-study funds in areas where students' ability can be cultivated, so as to combine work, education and aid closely and innovate the channels of "open source". For example, a comprehensive store, a printing center, a bookstore for college students, a photo color expansion center, etc., which are managed by the work-study department and assisted by students. Profitable funds are distributed to work-study students as poverty alleviation funds.