Education in China
Early Education
The education system in China is one that is truly renowned to be one of the most challenging in modern times. It literally starts from the kindergarten where children are cultivated to aim for the Cambridge and Harvard’s 15 years in advance! You wouldn’t believe it to know it, unless you were truly immersed in it.
Although since accepting that our educational sprint is not for the same outcome as the locals, we have enjoyed the more even paced Marathon (which I’m much more accustomed to) in order to reach our goals in the international education system, whilst also been able to experience the public and private early education systems in Shanghai first-hand.
It’s given me a chance to understand what all the ‘fuss is about’ when it comes to parents and the seriousness of how early education is viewed.
Parents in China are staunchly competitive right from the word ‘go!.’ The aim initially was to ensure that their children leaned English as close to near native standards, excelled at Maths and did incredibly well at science. To be studious is tantamount to success- this is the case all over the world, but there is another level to this in China.
The Hardest Exam in the World
Chinese Kindergartens, Primary and High schools all help to prepare for what is renowned to be one of the (if not ‘the’) hardest school exam in the world known as the Gaokao (pronounced as ‘gow-cow’). It is the National College Entrance Examination taken at the age of 18 years of age.
It is equivalent to the American SAT exams or the British A Levels. Passing this exams well, will allow the opportunity of admission, for some, to the equivalent of the Cambridge’s and Harvard University’s of the East.
There is also a chance of not scoring high enough or missing out on one’s preferred University choice. This could mean repeating the final year of high school in order to take another chance at this grueling exam. The stakes are high, thus also is the pressure.
A total of 10.78 million people took the Gaokao exam in the summer of 2021, last year. Getting into the university of choice and to do the courses one wishes is a the greatest gift. It allows the reality of future job prospects and security which would hopefully mean a more stable and fulfilled life, not just for the student, but for the extended family.
The role of the dedicated Grandparents
The whole family works towards making this dream happen. Diligent parents move across cities, quit jobs or switch roles to set their children up for schooling. The dedication is so much so, that many parents choose to move closer to their child’s kindergarten/school just to reduce the travel burden of the child so they have more time to complete their homework and rest.
Grandparents take on the role of assisting their adult children by taking on additional responsibilities. This includes chauffeuring the little ones to after-school lessons, helping out with school pick-ups, preparing dinner and supporting them emotionally with love and patience. Frequently they play a strong role and influence in the upbringing of their grandchildren.
It’s a full on family, community and country affair. The whole nation bears careful observation to the dates every June- when the exams take place. It’s where the education investments of 15 years plus- with the wish that it will pay dividends. For some, this pressure is all too great but for many it will feel like winning more than an Olympic Gold Medal!
Recent Educational Reform
The educational reform is ongoing and their have been recent changes that prevent educational establishments from carrying out some after-school lessons in core subjects. The aim of this is to allow the children to spend more time with families, to exercise and to consolidate what they have learned in a less stressful way.
Children now take on exercise as a greater balancing act to their school work and may find times on the weekend to participate in more arts-based subjects such as painting or drama. This allows children to focus more on their physical and mental health, reduces the expense of after school lessons, and also then redresses the balance of the possibility of achieving comparatively good grades with their counterparts, without being over-tutored thus leveling the playing as financial advantage has been removed. This also means the financial burden for many is subsequently also reduced.
The Education system is fascinating and it’s a privilege to witness the changes that take place and benefits in real-time. The China Modernization 2035 plan focuses on improving quality and capacity to support education for all of its youthful inhabitants across the sprawling and highly populated nation. The date seems in some ways quite far away but as with many things, the careful and meticulous planning will keep the nation on track towards its goal.
Additional Images courtesy of freepik.com