Officials quit EMBA program after ban

An Tsinghua EMBA class in Anyang city, Central China's Henan province on July 1, 2012. [Photo/IC]

Names of three provincial- and ministerial-level officials have been taken out of the students' roll at the China Europe International Business School on Sept 9, according to The Beijing Times on Monday. The names were there on the list until September 8.

Fewer officials, executives participate in EMBA programs

The move is in response to a step taken by the Organization Department of CPC Central Committee banning government officials and executives of State-owned enterprises from attending any expensive training programs as a cover for networking.

These training programs in business schools demand high fees, sometimes equaling officials' total salary of years and even decades.

According to Liu Wei, a former Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) lecturer, rather than paying the fees through their own pockets, the officials bear the expenses through public funds, companies or the schools themselves.

"If handled improperly, it can lead to corruption," Wang Yukai, a professor of Chinese Academy of Governance, said.

Wang said the ban on officials attending expensive training programs shows that the anti-corruption drive has expanded.

EMBA course is aimed at senior administrators of large enterprises, and this program was popular among China's government officials and executives of State-owned enterprises.

Recently, several government officials and executives of State-owned enterprises have quit EMBA classes due to the ban.

According to the report, the official quitting the programs did not breach the admission requirements of the business schools.