Photographs: David Gray/Reuters
China has announced a slew of policies to encourage more youths to join its People's Liberation Army, the world's largest military organisation, which has a strength of 2.3 million personnel.
The decisions will be in line with the army's earlier initiatives, in which rules were amended to raise the maximum age for recruits to 24, opening the gateway for more and more students.
A circular issued by the ministry of education said that college graduates will be given preference for recruitment in the army, where they will be further provided with facilities like tuition and loan exemptions.
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How China MOTIVATES its youth to join the army
Photographs: Reuters
The recruits will also get aid in job-hunting or furthering their studies once they complete their service, the circular said.
The army, which started accepting online applications for the first time, will continue with the process from April to July this year. Experts will be invited to provide online
consulting services to the students to help them understand the policies in a better way, it said.
PLA started enlisting college graduates in 2001 and by the end of 2009, these graduates accounted for 1,30,000 of its total recruits.
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How China MOTIVATES its youth to join the army
Photographs: Reuters
The army has stepped up its drive to recruit more graduates, considering the complexities in operating the emerging new technologies, especially in the backdrop of increasing dependency on upgraded weapon systems and modern warfare techniques.
Another reason for the military to opt for more graduates is because most of the PLA soldiers are high school graduates.
As per China's Military Service Law passed by the NPC in 1984, every citizen over the age of 18 must serve in the military upon being requested to do so, except for disabled people.
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