Research on the Optimization Strategy of Financial Investment in

Adult Higher Education from the Comparative Perspective

of Tianjin City and Qinghai Province

Hanyu Wang

School of Liberal Arts, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou, Fujian, China

Keywords: Adult Higher Education, Financial Investment, Optimization Strategy, Tianjin City, Qinghai Province.

Abstract: Lifelong learning has become a national strategy, and the importance of adult higher education has become

increasingly prominent. However, there are differences in the impact of economic development levels on

education investment in different regions. This is particularly evident in the financial investment in adult

higher education in Tianjin and Qinghai provinces. This study compared and analyzed the development of

adult higher education in two regions through data analysis and case studies, explored the complex

relationship between economic growth and education investment, and proposed optimization strategies. The

research results indicate that reasonable financial investment is crucial for promoting the sustainable

development of adult higher education. Based on this, this article suggests that policymakers should consider

the level of regional economic growth and develop differentiated fiscal investment strategies to achieve

educational modernization and build a lifelong learning system.

1 INTRODUCTION

Against the backdrop of rapid economic development

and social transformation in China, changes in

population structure have put forward new

requirements for educational financial investment.

Especially with the aging population and changes in

the labor market, the importance of adult higher

education as a keyway to enhance individual

vocational abilities and comprehensive qualities is

becoming increasingly prominent. The release of

relevant documents further emphasizes the

importance of lifelong learning and proposes the goal

of building a modern education system that serves

lifelong learning for all (Central People's Government

of the People's Republic of China, 2019).

As an important guarantee for the development of

education in the country, the rationality and

efficiency of financial investment in education

directly affect the improvement of education quality

and the realization of educational equity. In recent

years, domestic and foreign scholars have gradually

deepened their research on financial investment in

adult higher education. Guan and Blair found through

interviews that Chinese adult higher education

students' pursuit of degrees is influenced by diplomas,

which to some extent limits their employment

competitiveness (Guan and Blair, 2022). Robertson,

D. L. emphasized the importance of providing

flexible learning options and support services for

adult students (Robertson, 2020). Tianjin and Qinghai

provinces, as representatives of economically

developed eastern regions and developing western

regions, provide rich comparative research cases on

the development of adult higher education. Tianjin

has increased its financial investment in adult higher

education by leveraging its economic advantages,

forming a multi-level and multi-form educational

system. Despite relatively lagging economic

development, Qinghai Province, with the support of

national policies, has achieved significant results in

the field of adult higher education by optimizing the

allocation of educational resources and improving the

quality of education. Domestic researchers such as

Gao Chuan and Wang Tong have proposed

suggestions for the development of self-study in

Tianjin, while Sun Yuting compared the income

effects of adult higher education and general higher

education, pointing out that adult education has a

disadvantage in terms of income (Sun, 2019). Men

Hailong and Li Jing analyzed the uneven regional

development of adult higher education in China and

proposed insights for the development of adult higher

education in different regions. Their research points

out that one of the main reasons for the relatively

backward development of adult higher education in

Wang, H.

Research on the Optimization Strategy of Financial Investment in Adult Higher Education from the Comparative Perspective of Tianjin City and Qinghai Province.

DOI: 10.5220/0013965100004912

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Innovative Education and Social Development (IESD 2025), pages 70-75

ISBN: 978-989-758-779-5

regions with good economic development is the

relatively low government investment in higher

education (Men and Li, 2020). Wang Bing took adult

education in Tianjin as an example and proposed a

strategy for the coordinated development of

continuing education carriers. The strategy includes

carrying out the construction of "Double First Class"

with its characteristics, achieving resource

complementarity and sharing; Establishing a credit

bank alliance to achieve mutual recognition of

credits; Strengthen the construction of an adult school

education system to meet the constantly developing

demand for continuing education (Wang, 2019).

The existing domestic and foreign literature on

financial investment in adult higher education has

problems such as insufficient timeliness, lack of

pertinence, insufficient evaluation and quantitative

analysis of effectiveness, and weak operability.

Specific research on Tianjin and Qinghai is also

relatively lacking. This article compares and analyzes

the financial investment in adult higher education

between Tianjin and Qinghai provinces, explores the

differences, and proposes targeted optimization

strategies based on actual situations, providing new

perspectives and references for other regions.

In summary, this study will guide the formulation

of adult higher education policies in Tianjin and

Qinghai provinces, while also offering valuable

experiences for other regions. This study aims to

provide new perspectives and strategies for

optimizing financial investment in adult higher

education to adapt to the constantly changing social

demands and educational goals.

2 CASE STUDY

This article reveals the advantages and disadvantages

of financial management in adult higher education

between Tianjin and Qinghai provinces through a

detailed comparison of their financial investment.

2.1 Tianjin: Stability of Expenditure

and Fiscal Synergy

Tianjin has shown significant stability in education

expenditure. The coefficient of variation is a

statistical measure of relative dispersion, which

represents the ratio of standard deviation to mean and

is used to compare the volatility of different datasets.

The data shows that from 2018 to 2022, the

coefficient of variation (coefficient of

variation=standard deviation/mean) of education

expenditure in Tianjin was 0.054, which is lower than

the national level of 0.059. This stability means that

Tianjin has significant advantages in budget planning

and utilization, which can effectively ensure the

stable development of educational and teaching

activities. For example, Tianjin can invest in teacher

training and talent introduction at a certain proportion

every year based on stable funding, ensuring the

continuous improvement of teachers' professional

competence. This stable balance of income and

expenditure provides a solid guarantee for the stable

development of educational and teaching activities

and helps to continuously improve the overall quality

of adult higher education.

In the field of adult higher education, the synergy

between financial subsidies and the growth of

education funding income is of crucial importance for

the stable development of education. In terms of the

synergy between financial subsidies and the growth

of education revenue, Tianjin has performed well.

Based on the relevant data of the National Bureau of

Statistics, this paper calculates and analyzes the

growth rate of financial subsidies and the growth rate

of education revenue of Tianjin adult colleges and

universities from 2019 to 2023, and finds that the two

are highly consistent, as shown in Figure 1. This

shows that Tianjin can reasonably control the

reduction of financial subsidies when the income of

education funds decreases and increase investment in

time when it increases. In terms of financial

management, it has obvious advantages, and can

accurately regulate the financial subsidies according

to the dynamic changes of education funds income, to

ensure the rational allocation of education resources.

2.2 Qinghai Province: Stability and

Accurate Investment of Fund

Revenue

Qinghai Province has shown high stability in terms of

education funding income. The data shows that from

2018 to 2022, the coefficient variation of education

funding income in Qinghai Province was 0.062,

which is lower than the national level of 0.077. This

indicates that Qinghai Province has stronger stability

in education funding income and can provide solid

financial support for the sustainable development of

schools. For example, adult colleges in Qinghai

Province can systematically purchase or develop new

online teaching course resources every year, without

interrupting or reducing such projects due to

significant fluctuations in funding income, which is

more conducive to their long-term and orderly

development.

Research on the Optimization Strategy of Financial Investment in Adult Higher Education from the Comparative Perspective of Tianjin City

and Qinghai Province

Figure 1: Financial subsidies and education revenue in China and Tianjin.

Figure 2: Proportion of education utility and capital expenditures of the public finance budget to education expenditures.

In terms of precise investment and effective

utilization of funds, Qinghai Province has shown

advantages. Based on the relevant data from the

National Bureau of Statistics, this paper calculates the

proportion of education expenses and capital

expenditure in the public budget of adult colleges and

universities in Qinghai Province from 2019 to 2023, as

shown in Figure 2. The data show that from 2019 to

2023, the adult colleges and universities in Qinghai

Province invested a lot in education and capital

expenditure, which was relatively stable. This shows

that Qinghai Province can make full use of the limited

financial resources and accurately invest the education

expenditure into the construction of schools, ensuring

the effective development of basic teaching activities

of adult higher education. Although the total

11%

-1%

-21%

-8%

-22%

-1%

-3%

-1%

-2%

-25%

-20%

-15%

-10%

-5%

10%

15%

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

Revenue from education funding National Revenue from education expenses Tianjin

Expenditure on financial subsidies Tianjin Expenditure on financial grants National

48%

44%

42%

43%

46%

47%

39%

43%

45%

47%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

nationwide Qinghai

IESD 2025 - International Conference on Innovative Education and Social Development

expenditure on education in Qinghai Province is

relatively low, its efforts in ensuring the education cost

and school capital construction enable it to maintain a

stable teaching order in the field of adult higher

education and ensure that the basic teaching needs

such as teacher's salaries, teaching materials

procurement, and curriculum development are met,

thus laying a solid foundation for improving the

quality of education.

2.3 Summary

Through comparative analysis, Tianjin has shown

outstanding performance in the stability of education

expenditure and fiscal coordination, which provides a

guarantee for the sustained motivation of its

educational activities and the efficient use of fiscal

subsidies. Qinghai Province has shown advantages in

the stability and precise investment of education

funding income, which helps it develop education

according to local conditions under limited resources.

The successful experience of the two regions in the

financial management of adult higher education

provides a valuable reference for other areas, which

helps to promote the improvement of the national adult

higher education financial management system and the

balanced development of the education industry.

3 PROBLEMS EXIST

When comparing the financial investment in adult

higher education between Tianjin and Qinghai

provinces, it can be found that there are some common

problems in the implementation of financial policies

and the operation of specific institutions in both places.

These problems not only affect the quality of education

but also constrain the further development of the

education industry.

3.1 Single Financing Channel

Firstly, the financial investment in adult higher

education in both regions shows the problem of a

single financing channel.

The funding for adult higher education in Tianjin

mainly relies on government appropriations, and the

proportion of tuition income is relatively low. This

dependency limits the flexibility and sustainability of

education funding. Although Qinghai Province also

relies on fiscal appropriations in terms of funding

sources, its expenditure structure is unbalanced, with a

high proportion of fiscal appropriations and a low

proportion of tuition and other income, indicating

insufficient fiscal investment and uneven distribution.

This single financing channel not only limits the

flexibility of education funding but also affects the

sustainable development of the education industry.

3.2 Insufficient Policy Support and

Guidance

Secondly, the current development process of adult

higher education in Tianjin is relatively slow, and the

lack of policy support and guidance is an important

factor that cannot be ignored. Although fiscal

investment has shown an increasing trend in quantity

year by year, providing a certain material foundation

for the development of education, there is still room

for improvement in the policy system in multiple key

dimensions.

At the level of development planning, with the

emergence of the intelligent manufacturing industry in

the local area, related digital control, intelligent

operation, and maintenance majors have not been fully

deployed in the adult higher education system

promptly, making it difficult for the supply of skilled

talents to keep up with the pace of industrial

expansion, and the mismatch between talent

cultivation and actual job demands has limited the

timeliness of the education service industry.

In addition, the incentive-supporting policies are

not perfect enough. For educational institutions, the

lack of corresponding funding subsidies and project

incubation support policies when exploring integrated

teaching models such as online and offline, and cross-

enterprise training cooperation projects has suppressed

their educational innovation vitality. If the teacher

group wants to carry out practice-oriented teaching

innovation based on the characteristics of adult

learners, their enthusiasm is difficult to sustain due to

the lack of special rewards for teaching achievements

and incentives related to professional title evaluation.

However, many adult learners who aspire to improve

themselves often hesitate and lose their enthusiasm for

participation when faced with the contradiction

between learning costs and engineering due to the lack

of incentive policies such as tuition installment

discounts and rewards for converting learning

outcomes.

Finally, there are still gaps in regulatory policies.

The supervision of teaching quality lacks refined

standards and long-term tracking mechanisms, and

some courses have insufficient depth of teaching and

loose assessment. The resource allocation rules are not

transparent and reasonable enough, and the flow of

resources such as funds, faculty, and equipment is

uneven. Some emerging universities and characteristic

Research on the Optimization Strategy of Financial Investment in Adult Higher Education from the Comparative Perspective of Tianjin City

and Qinghai Province

majors are facing difficulties in development due to

resource shortages, which affects the overall balance

of education.

3.3 Improper Use of Funds

In addition, both places have exposed certain

shortcomings in the standardization of fund utilization.

In the composition of financial investment in adult

higher education in Tianjin, self-raised funds, social

donations, and other diversified channels account for a

relatively large proportion. This kind of funding

structure indirectly reflects the potential lack of

standardization in the overall funding operation

process. Some educational institutions have

experienced improper allocation of funds due to

considerations such as reducing daily management

expenses. This has led to the unreasonable occupation

of the originally planned education project funds,

thereby interfering with the normal teaching activities

and the upgrading of facilities and equipment. The

realization of maximizing the efficiency of financial

investment has been affected, resulting in resource

misallocation and waste, weakening the role that

financial investment should play in improving the

quality of education.

In Qinghai Province, although efforts have been

made to standardize the use of funds and some results

have been achieved, it is unfortunately plagued by the

problem of insufficient total financial investment, and

the allocation of limited funds among universities and

professional projects has not been balanced and

reasonable. The fund is "too much for monks and too

little for porridge". Some emerging majors and

colleges in remote areas in urgent need of resource

support can only get a small share, which makes it

difficult to support the operation of a high-quality

teaching system, and ultimately affects the overall

effect of adult higher education, limiting the depth and

breadth of education services.

H University in Tianjin has received a total social

donation income of only about 500000 yuan in the past

three years, accounting for less than 2% of the total

income. This indicates that some schools taking this

university as an example have insufficient

diversification of funding sources, reflecting its

weakness in absorbing social resources. M University

in Qinghai Province has been hovering around 25% of

its total funding in the past five years, with a high

dependence on government financial appropriations.

These cases further confirm the problems in financial

investment in adult higher education between the two

regions. Despite the school's strong investment in the

construction of ethnic-characteristic teaching

facilities, the lack of a sound operational management

mechanism has resulted in some facilities being idle,

and the efficiency of investment and output needs to

be improved.

4 OPTIMIZATION SUGGESTIONS

In response to the problems in financial investment

in adult higher education between Tianjin and Qinghai

provinces, and based on current domestic and

international research results, the following

optimization suggestions are proposed:

Firstly, to address the issue of a single financing

channel between the two regions, it is recommended

that the governments actively expand diversified

financing channels. The government can increase the

sources of education funding and reduce dependence

on a single fiscal allocation by introducing social

capital, encouraging corporate donations, and

establishing special funds. Liang pointed out that

increasing specialized funding support for adult higher

education and optimizing financial allocation are key

to improving the quality and accessibility of education

(Liang, 2023). In addition, the proposal put forward by

Shen Yubao and Zhao Chaofeng to establish an

effective communication mechanism is also applicable

to the diversification of fiscal investment, by

strengthening communication with various sectors of

society and improving the efficiency and transparency

of fundraising (Shen and Zhao, 2020).

Secondly, to address the issue of insufficient policy

support and guidance, it is recommended that the

governments of both regions strengthen their efforts in

policy formulation and implementation. The

government should analyze the actual needs and

challenges of adult higher education from the

perspective of students, and formulate more precise

and effective policy measures. Guan and Blair

analyzed the duality of adult higher education in China

from a student perspective and pointed out that policy-

making should consider the actual needs of students

(Guan and Blair, 2022). Meanwhile, Sun Yuting's

research also indicates that optimizing the structure

and effectiveness of fiscal investment can ensure that

policy implementation truly enhances the quality and

accessibility of adult higher education (Sun, 2019).

Finally, regarding the issue of non-standard use of

funds, it is recommended that the governments of both

regions strengthen supervision and evaluation of the

use of fiscal funds. The government should establish a

sound regulatory mechanism for the use of fiscal

funds, ensure the rational allocation and efficient use

of funds, and prevent the misappropriation and waste

IESD 2025 - International Conference on Innovative Education and Social Development

of funds. Liu J. proposed to enhance the financial

sustainability of adult higher education through

innovative financial management models (Liu, 2024).

In addition, Tian Yanhong emphasized the importance

of ideological and political education in adult higher

education and also reminded us to pay attention to

improving the quality of education with the use of

funds (Tian, 2022).

In summary, measures such as expanding financing

channels, strengthening policy support and guidance,

and standardizing fund use can effectively optimize

the financial investment in adult higher education in

Tianjin and Qinghai provinces, and improve the

quality and effectiveness of education. These

optimization suggestions are also in line with the

research of relevant scholars at home and abroad,

objectively speaking, they are practical and feasible.

5 CONCLUSION

This study reveals the advantages and disadvantages of

financial management in adult higher education

between Tianjin and Qinghai provinces through an in-

depth comparative analysis of their financial

investment. Tianjin has performed well in terms of

stable expenditure and fiscal coordination but faces

problems of insufficient policy support and irregular

use of funds. Qinghai Province has advantages in

terms of stable funding and precise investment, but the

problems of insufficient financial investment and

uneven distribution still exist. In response to these

issues, this article proposes optimization suggestions

for expanding financing channels, strengthening

policy support, and regulating the use of funds.

These findings and suggestions not only have

important guiding significance for Tianjin and Qinghai

provinces but also provide valuable reference for other

provinces across the country. Eastern provinces can

learn from Tianjin's experience in financial

expenditure management and optimize the efficiency

of fund utilization; Western provinces can refer to the

stability strategy of funding income in Qinghai

Province to enhance the precise investment of

financial resources. Through the implementation of

these strategies, various regions can more effectively

optimize financial investment in adult higher

education, promote education modernization, and

build a lifelong learning system.

Looking ahead to the future, with the continuous

advancement of China's education modernization

process, the optimization of financial investment in

adult higher education will become the key to

achieving educational equity and improving

educational quality. Each region should formulate

differentiated financial investment strategies based on

its own economic development level and educational

resource needs, to achieve balanced development of

educational resources and comprehensive

improvement of educational quality. Through

continuous reform and innovation, China's adult

higher education will usher in a brighter future.

REFERENCES

Guan, S., & Blair, E. 2022. Adult higher education as both

an 'opportunity and a 'trap': student perceptions on cre-

dentialism in China. Studies in continuing education

44(3): 362-375.

Liang, W. 2023. Financial sustainability among higher edu-

cation institutions in the United States. Journal of Con-

temporary Educational Research 7(12): 277-281.

Liu, J. 2024. Adapting leadership in American higher educa-

tion: confronting contemporary academic and financial

challenges. International Journal of Frontiers in Sociol-

ogy 6(1).

Men, H., Li, Jing. 2020. Analysis and enlightenment of re-

gional development imbalance in adult higher education

in China. Journal of Radio and Television University

(Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition) (04): 104-109.

Robertson, D. L. 2020. Adult students in US higher educa-

tion: An evidence-based commentary and recommended

best practices. Innovative Higher Education 45(2): 121-

134.

Shen, Y., Zhao, C. 2020. Research on the communication

Mechanism of collaborative development of lifelong ed-

ucation in Beijing Tianjin Hebei. China Distance Educa-

tion (03): 65-72.

Sun, Y. 2019. Comparison of income effects between adult

higher education and general higher education. Open Ed-

ucation Research 25(01): 108-120.

Tian, Y. 2022. Research on strengthening the ideological and

political construction of adult higher education curricu-

lum in the new era. Tianjin Vocational College Joint

Journal 24(07): 108-112.

Wang, B. 2019. Research on the collaborative development

of continuing education carriers under the background of

learning-oriented city construction: taking adult school

education in Tianjin as an example. Vocational Educa-

tion Forum (01): 105-112.

Xinhua News Agency. 2019. The central committee of the

communist party of China and the State Council have is-

sued the "China Education Modernization 2035". Re-

trieved from: https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2019-

02/23/content_5367987.htm

Research on the Optimization Strategy of Financial Investment in Adult Higher Education from the Comparative Perspective of Tianjin City

and Qinghai Province