In recent years, the news about doctoral students has been increasing, and has aroused public doubts about the quality of doctoral training.

During the 40 years of reform and opening up, the enrollment of doctoral students has increased from 900 in 1981 to 100000 in 2020. But the problem is not quantity, but quality.

There is a big difference between the early 1980s and the present. At that time, most of the doctoral tutors were the first generation of college students or returned talents trained by the state at the beginning of liberation. They have the ambition to serve the country, their experience, their academic heritage are first-class. In addition, the number of enrollment is small, and they are all elites of the times, so the quality of graduate students is guaranteed. The early doctors have become the backbone of all disciplines in the country, and the doctors they trained have become the leading talents in all industries in the country. Graduate students (including Masters) in the 1980s were also outstanding in that era. In the new century, with the expansion of university enrollment, the number of degree programs has increased significantly, and the number of doctoral students has also increased sharply. However, the gap of tutor team in different schools also appears. The quality of doctoral students will inevitably decline. The enrollment scale must be strictly controlled. Quality must be valued.

Doctoral students are not mass education, should adhere to less but better, high standards. No more than two tutors per year is appropriate. If a tutor enrolls too many doctoral students, it is difficult to guarantee the quality. It is necessary to abandon and return to the problem orientation. The number of students to be admitted should be limited, the opening, mid-term assessment and doctoral dissertation review should be strict. In order to learn the doctoral training mode from abroad, the curriculum and tutor group should be improved, rather than the one-to-one tutor with students.

There is no causal relationship between the number of doctors and the number of masters. The appearance of masters is related to personal intelligence, school and social atmosphere. Innovative talents are a condition for nurturing masters. From basic education to higher education, there are still many problems in the talent training system. How to make doctors have the ability of innovation is a big problem. Paper oriented research is contrary to the focus on scientific and applied problems. It is more important to lay a good theoretical foundation than to master technology in doctoral education. To choose scientific issues correctly, we should stand at the forefront of science and have a sense of home and country. From the perspective of the development of colleges and universities, the doctoral training program should have national standards. From the aspect of professional development, we should have a long-term plan to cultivate basic and applied talents according to the needs of national development.

Previously, some higher education scholars in Henan Province said that the number of doctoral students in Henan Province was less than half of that of Tsinghua University, Peking University and Zhejiang University. The gap between the rich and the poor in the number of students enrolled is a superficial phenomenon. Not all professors can take doctorates, and the standards for tutors should be strict.

Under the trend of diversification of doctoral employment, the future doctoral training system should also adapt to social changes, and the concept of doctoral employment should be changed. It's not surprising that a doctor graduated from a street office or a middle school. The best way out is to make the best use of one's talents. It's gold that always shines.