China's Ministry of Education (MOE) has refuted media reports that said 85 percent of new students enrolled in higher education institutions in east China's Anhui Province were female.

Local media were reporting a record gender disparity in the country's written-test-oriented college enrollment system, saying that the exams were better suited to girls.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a notice on Monday, "The information has been proved untrue as statistics from the provincial Education Examinations Authority show there were more boys than girls enrolled to colleges in Anhui this year."

The ministry failed to give the exact number of boys and girls admitted.

The "fabricated" report, however, has already sparked concern and heated debate among the public nationwide.

Some attributed the unprecedented ratio to the knowledge-oriented testing which requires good memory as girls are more patient in reciting and conforming to teachers' instructions.

And the government's efforts for reducing the number of female dropouts have also been attributed as a factor.

The ministry warned in the notice that various media institutions should confirm with relevant authorities these kinds of statistics which may have a big impact, so as not to "mislead college applicants and their parents and to avoid negative influence."

The national university entrance exam, scheduled in early June each year, is of great importance because it is the only chance for most high school graduates to have access to higher education.

The official statistics in 2004 suggested that the number of girls accounted for 45.7 percent of the total students in colleges and universities.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2007)