课外补充The Chinese Education System中国教育体系

The Chinese Education System

The education system in China is still very much rooted in Confucian philosophy. Beginning in elementary school, children endure round after round of extremely stringent exams. Students dream of attaining high enough marks to advance academically and gain acceptance into prestigious schools. Tests are based primarily on rote memorization and students seldom have a chance to express themselves through written or oral presentations. There is very little opportunity for individual creativity. Achieving excellent grades year after year on a never-ending series of multiple-choice exams is the only thing most students worry about throughout their academic life.

In China, pressure to do well academically is intense. Given its massive population, competition for well-paying jobs exceeds anything the average Westerner can imagine. Parents in China go to great lengths to ensure the success of their children. Bribing school officials so one's child can gain entry into a prominent academic program is not unusual. Corporal punishment is also generally not frowned upon.

In many elementary and junior high schools, the school year begins in September with teachers sending notes home to the parents. These notes are permission slips to hit the children in the upcoming academic session. Very often, not only do parents grant their permission, but they also ask the teachers to provide "extra hitting." Teen suicide as a result of poor academic performance is not uncommon. Remarkably, getting a grade of 90% on an exam is, in many cases, considered a poor performance!

With its huge population, Chinese schools tend to be overcrowded and underfunded. Generally, classrooms have 50 to 60 students or more. Students and their families normally have to pay for tuition, books, school uniforms and meals. These meals consist primarily of rice and oily vegetables provided by local restaurants and snack shops.

Students typically arrive at school at about 7:00 or 7:30 AM and usually don't leave until 4:00 or 5:00 PM. Following their grueling day at school, students who can afford it spend their evenings and weekends attending private classes, often until 10:00 PM or later. In these private classes, students receive extra training in the hopes of gaining a competitive edge in the examination process. It is not unusual for some students to spend 20 to 25 hours per week attending supplemental after-hours classes. The ultimate goal is to get accepted first into a so-called "good junior high school," then into a "good high school" and finally into a "good university."

With so many people and relatively few places available in China's universities, the entire education system is not so much geared to educating students as it is to weeding them out. Children are faced with hundreds of exams while going through primary and secondary school. Thrust into a fiercely competitive environment at an early age, the path to success is fraught with many obstacles and countless chances for failure. Only a select few who are lucky enough and clever enough manage to make it into a so-called "good university." This secures an almost guaranteed path to a decent career and a healthy financial future. The entire academic process, in effect, parallels the ancient Imperial examination system based on Confucian principles of learning.

The Chinese education system is

not so much geared toward

educating as toward weeding out

students. Only the very brightest

have any hope of succeeding.