Notes from Way Outside: Chinese Loyalties Tested

Chinese Students Face Loyalty Quiz--Millions of Communist Chinese students spent the few weeks cramming for a series of new and stricter tests of their "political reliability" before they can qualify for places in the country's overcrowded universities. The text they are studying is published by Peking's Ministry of Education and its title is, "Regulations for Entry into Institutions of Higher Learning," a formidable document which calls for a thorough examination of the political thinking of all university aspirants.

Scottish Student Jailed in Spain--An 18-year-old student from Scotland, Stuart Christie, was sentenced earlier this month to 20 years in jail by a military court in Spain for "terrorist activities" against the regime of Francisco Franco. The student, a self-proclaimed anarchist, was arrested while hitchhiking to Madrid with a knapsack full of plastic explosives. Christie's mother watched the trial, commented laconically: "I don't think it would be taken so seriously back home ... he is very young."

Seylon Restricts Student Travel--Officials have announced in Colombo that, from now on, Ceylonese students will be permitted to travel abroad only for educational courses that are not available at home. Even then, the studies must be among those receiving high priority in the national interest. Scientific and technological training will be especially encouraged.

New goals in the Commonwtalth--Canada hosted the Third Commonwealth Education Conference in Ottawa, where delegations from all over the Commonwealth met to review common problems. Nigeria called for "an increase in the number of teachers, going to developing countries." (Britain provides 5,000 teachers as against 17,000 from France.) India regretted that the goal of 1,000 Commonwealth scholarships had not yet been reached. Canada proposed an educational "peace corps" to attack illiteracy in emerging nations.

Two Hurt Fleeing Czechoslovakia Two Czechoslovak boys, one of them 17 years old and the other 15, crashed a heavy truck through the barriers erected along the Czechoslovak-West Garman border. Both were wounded by gunfire when Communist border guards shot at the speeding truck. They were rushed to a West German hospital for treatment.