The Ministry of Education is encouraging Chinese universities and colleges to diversify their workforce by recruiting more graduates from other universities rather than their own, the Beijing Daily reports.

To relieve the pressures of unemployment on new graduates, many universities prefer recruiting their own graduates. As much as half the professors and associate professors in some universities received qualifications from the same university, said the report.

In these situations, the teachers lack study and teaching experience from other academic circles, which in turn leads to decreased academic diversity and creativity, according to the report.

Some universities and colleges in Beijing have started to give more opportunities to overseas returnees and students from other universities. The Renmin University of China for example, is prohibited from recruiting its own graduates.

Over the coming ten years, the Ministry plans to encourage universities to make use of more public academic resources and recruit talent from all walks of life. In addition to this, all university teachers are required to hold postgraduate or doctoral qualifications.