Education

There are two main parts to the education system in China. The first part is the nine year compulsory education system. The other part is either secondary technical school, high school, college, or university.

The nine year compulsory education system is a particular system implemented by the Chinese government, which is free and mandatory. Many countries also have free education. However, parents or guardians in China are sentenced by law if they don’t permit their children to go to school which is different from some other education systems in other countries. Because of compulsory education, almost all people under 50 can read, write, and calculate. It is a great and practical achievement, at least in my opinion.

After grade nine, students can choose to continue studying or not according to personal willingness and the situation of each family. If they decide to continue studying, there are two directions: one is short and the other is long. The short one is secondary technical school, most of which are four years. Students who go to secondary technical school will be able to start work after they graduate. The long one is the high school way. After three years of high school, students apply to college or university, which is very similar with other education systems in the world.

Most of the Chinese education system is similar to other education systems in the world, but the attitude which Chinese parents take to education is absolutely unique in the universe! In ancient China, there is an expression, “To be a scholar is to be the top of society.” For a long time, almost all Chinese have believed that studying is the only way out of poverty. So the only thing parents ask their children to do is to study: no play, no housework, no social activities. Parents try to create perfect studying conditions and do all things which should be done by their children, such as feet washing, serving dishes, etc. The only goal for parents is that their children will have more time to study. This idea leads to many social issues.

Firstly, all students study so hard that competition becomes serious and a bad cycle happens. In order to get higher scores than others, students have to spend more hours on studying. Teachers have to increase the difficulty of exams so that they can identify the better students. More time is spent on meaningless details and unlimited difficulty.

Secondly, some students grow up to be a person who only knows how to study and aren’t able to do other things. They don’t know how to tie their shoes, how to wash clothes, how to get along with peers. They don’t know how to play any instruments or sports for fun. The only thing that they think of is studying and beating others to get first place, which will make their parents happy.

Thirdly, some social issues appear. Since studying is so important, a good school (whatever primary, junior or high school) or a good teacher becomes the object which parents want their children to experience. Education resources are not equal in China. There is another classical expression in China, “Don’t allow your children to lose at the starting point!” This means most parents try to register their children in famous primary schools, even kindergarden, because they think competition begins there. All rules become pale and breed more problems. “Nearby Enrollment Policy" leads to house prices near these schools to go up sharply. "Specialty Admission Policy" dictates that all parents force students to learn piano, violin, drawing, and mathematical olympiad which adds more burden on their kids. The parents never ask if these are their kids’ interests. Unavoidable corruption emerges. Some schools ask for a large donation fee because by law they can’t charge tuition. Some parents offer bribes to officers in schools or the education department in order that they can register their child in a certain school.

You can’t image how much pressure and competition some parents and students face in China. Childhood in China for many is not viewed as a happy time. The books in grade four that are carried to school are so heavy that students have to use a trolley suitcase. Students are required to study more than 10 hours beginning in grade 4. Of course, more and more hours are added to studying up to entering university. All of these factors take away childhood happiness.

I fully understand parents in China who approach education for their children as described above. All parents hope their children are successful, have a decent job, have a happy life. However, is studying the only way to success? Are all sacrifices worthwhile? There are many characteristics which are as important as, even more than studying, such as honesty, being nice, and selflessness. We must be aware when we pay more attention on some life skills and omit others. The education system in China may have some problems, but I believe it is the attitude of parents that should be changed first.