Reform, for better for for worse

Since it was resumed in 1977 after the 10-year Cultural Revolution, the national college admission test, or "gao kao", has always been a fierce competition because slots are forever limited given the country's huge population.

In 1977, 5.7 million candidates competed for just 270,000 places.

Even though candidates enjoy more opportunities these days, the competition remains tough because nearly all the candidates have higher expectations: for a best possible university and an ideal discipline that secures good jobs.

Stories of stressed-out students walking out or committing suicide still appear in Chinese newspapers. Parents meticulously prepare the best dishes and avoid saying anything that might harm the students' tender feelings.

On exam days, all of society seems to mobilize to make sure every student gets to try their best. Inevitably, some stressed-out students forget their ID cards and a mad rush back home is organized and often accompanied by a police escort.

Ambulances patrol exam centers to care for students who become overwhelmed by the stress or heat and pass out -- this year in particular with the looming worry of A/H1N1 flu. Construction sites are told to stop working between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM to ensure students get a good night's sleep, and drivers face fines for blowing horns near the exam centers.

For most children, the struggle for higher education is long and hard. The competition starts at primary school or even kindergarten, with a series of qualification tests led by maths Olympics and Cambridge English. Under the current testing system, these qualifications can gain extra points for students to enter better secondary schools and ultimately, top universities.

Outcries for reforms are constantly heard, but it's hard to find a better testing system to ensure fairness and relieve the students' stress at the same time.

"An ideal alternative would be for candidates to take several assessment tests in their last year at secondary school, and the best result should prevail," said Xiong Bingqi, a renowned expert on education. "Universities would recruit students on the basis of this result as well as an overall evaluation of the students' performances."

(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2009)