There's long been intense competition among Chinese students vying for a place at university. Now, similar fierce competition is emerging for primary school students choosing a middle school.

Competition begins even before graduation.

A computer matches students to middle schools at random. But it is a method that is not welcomed by everyone.

A student said, "There are 44 students in my class. Only a dozen have not found a middle school yet. It is not good to wait for a computer to select a school for you. The chance of being accepted to a good school is extremely rare. It is very important to enter a good middle school, or else you cannot go to a good senior school. So I would prefer if a computer didn't select my middle school."

Yang Dongping, education expert of Beijing Institute of Technology, said, "The policy is almost dead. About two-thirds of parents are doing everything they can to pick a better middle school for their children."

Doing "everything they can" includes donating money to schools under the premise of sponsorship, or signing up for training courses which can recommend students to famous schools.

Good schools have better teachers and learning facilities.

This is the entire gym equipment at one particular middle school. And those are all an ordinary school owns.

This is the reading room of a highly sought-after middle school, compared to the reading room of an ordinary school. Parents don't need to read between the lines to see the difference.

The gap in teaching quality is even greater.

Shen Jie, Headmaster of Upmarket Middle School, said, "A master's degree is the minimum requirement for teachers here. "

Yang Huiyun is the headmaster of an ordinary middle school. She says good teachers are leaving because of low pay. The lack of quality teachers is also turning away enrollments at Yang's school.

Yang Huiyun said, "Top students, who should enroll at this school because of the computer selection, always choose other better schools. This leaves us with ordinary students. You can imagine how much pressure is on me."

The scales of fair education opportunities have tilted. Officials say the ultimate solution is the better distribution of education resources.

Yuan Guiren, Education Minister, said, "Students are actually selecting teachers when selecting a school. We encourage more teacher-exchange projects. If more schools get good teachers, the distribution of education resources will become more balanced."

For Chinese students, going to a good school is critical to their future, prompting many to do their homework when choosing their future school.

(CCTV November 20, 2009)