CDE reflections- Project presentation

We were tasked to do research on a few topics, as well as present them in class after researching that topic and thesis. I got "The China's Education System Definitely Has Its Merits". It seemed simple enough, I initially thought, till I met a few roadblocks, namely the fact that upon research, I found out that out of the many articles about china's education system that I have found on the web, most of them are negative and cons of the China's education system. In fact, there were only one legitimate website where I found a point on the Merit's Of China's Education System: Respect for teachers. I hence changed my topic to "The china's education system definitely has its merits, but its flaws outweigh its merit, how far do you agree". To have a better coverage of the China's education system, and find out why there are so many negative articles out there about the Chinese education System. 

Before we dive into the topic, lets find out the definitions and key words of the question: Education system generally refers to 

The term education system generally refers to public schooling, not private schooling, and more commonly to kindergarten through high school programs. I found out that 99.7 percent of the population area of China has achieved universal nine year basic education and there are Significant increase in number of international students studying in China, but I will not be covering about those private institutions or international schools because I will be focusing on public schooling due to the definition laid out. The next few chunks of words are summarisation of the china’s education system so bear with me first before we get to the analyst, because to understand china’s education system and point out the merits/cons we have to know the education system first.

Note: If you already know about china’s education system, and wish to see the analysis, scroll down to the “ *Analysis*” Part.

(A table I found on the web to allow you to have a better understanding)

Primary School

Primary School takes up to 6 years, 5 days a week, use Chinese as its main teaching language, it is from September to July. The topic are Chinese, Mathematics, Social Studies, Nature, Physical Education, Ideology and Morality, Music, Fine Art, and Labour Studies, while foreign Language is normally offered as an elective course. To graduate, students have to pass graduation examinations in the subjects of Chinese and Mathematics which are normally designed and administered by schools with guidance from local educational authorities

Secondary School

Takes up to 3 years. To graduate, students have to pass minimum physical requirement, as well as graduation exams. Exams are designed and administered by individual schools according to guidelines set by the provincial educational bureaus or by local educational authorities to obtain a certificate of graduation. These tests are designed and administered by individual schools according to guidelines set by the provincial educational bureaus or by local educational authorities to obtain a certificate of graduation. They are examined (Typically) in the following subjects for graduation: Chinese, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Foreign Language, and Politics.

Secondary School

Divided into Academic and Vocational.

For Vocational:

Vocational education programs are offered at both the secondary and post-secondary levels. , while Vocational senior secondary schools provide subject and occupation specific education and training. It is highly employment oriented and graduates normally enter the workforce. However, it does offer some access to further education, particularly in the technical/vocational specialties. Since the year 2000, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has allowed graduates of vocational secondary schools to take the NCEE and be admitted into higher education programs. Higher technical/vocational education is available at the zhuanke (专科) level, which require two or three years of full-time post-secondary study. It is possible for graduates of higher vocational education programs at the zhuanke level to obtain a "benke 本科" degree (Bachelor’s degree) certificate through an upgrading program, but in a limited number of fields. Vocational higher education institutions are currently administered at the provincial level. 

For Academic:

It lasts 3 years . Senior secondary school is known as (gaozhong 高中).Students wishing to continue their study in the general (academic) track must pass the entrance examinations for general senior secondary schools, which is also known as (zhongkao 中考) in China, which is designed and administered by provincial educational authorities, the entrance examination includes the same subjects as the junior secondary graduation examination.At the end of their final school year, graduates of senior secondary schools seeking admission to post-secondary education are required to take the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, also called National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as (gaokao 高考) in China.

Tertiary Education

Higher education is provided by institutions of various types including general and technical universities, specialized institutions, professional universities, military institutions, medical schools and colleges, independent colleges, and adult higher education institutions of various types. Entry to university depends primarily on how well the students perform in the entrance examinations. Students with outstanding academic performance in their secondary schools can also possibly be granted an exemption from the entrance examination and be recommended directly to the University of their Choice through a method called (baosong 保送). In addition, some private institutions are exempted from the NCEE (gaokao) and accept all students who can afford the tuition fees. Prestigious universities (key institutions) maintain higher admission standards, and therefore require higher NCEE (gaokao) scores than other institutions. Entry to higher education in China is highly competitive.

*Analysis*

 After researching and talking to a few of my classmates from china about china education system, here’s what I have found out:

Flaws:

1)      Pressure

  Students face immense amount of pressure in china. According to a quote from Luo Mei Hua, a teacher at Xinhua No.1 Middle School in Hunan province, said that: “Children are pushed by parents but there is no help from Chinese media. They never provide supervision regarding how to relax children’s minds. Therefore when they take anything too hard they just commit suicide”.  And it is true. According to what I have found, Suicide’s ranking as biggest cause of death is 5^th in china, and about 500 students commit suicide each year. According to many parents and teachers who have seen cases of student suicide, it is said that suicide each year under academic pressure brought about by the examination-based education system. Chinese society is stressing test scores too much. Gao Kao alone determines the children’s fate, which university they will land in, whether they have a future. Students study at least 9 hours a day for Gao Kao, with some burning night oil and studying more than 12 hours. This is because Gao Kao is highly competitive, with millions competing to get into the few places in University. This creates a lot of pressure for students from ordinary families, especially from their parents. Those children have no other way to relax their minds, and this sometimes causes serious problems Also, according to the Education Blue book published by CCP authority, there is a low score of 58.28 in assessing public degree of satisfaction about local education, and 74.64 percent are dissatisfied with the entrance system from preliminary school to middle school. (That itself is a flaw, as if an education system has no flaws, there will be lower percentage of dissatisfaction). Most of the students who committed suicide are those who could not handle the immense pressure caused by the examination-based education system. The blue book also reveals that two-thirds of suicide cases occurred during the second semester of a year, when all kinds of examinations are coming. Furthermore, based on Nanjing (2013) survey which included 900 preliminary or middle school students who are asked on their consciousness of life, 4 percent of these students frequently think about suicide and 35 percent occasionally think about it, also, about 24.39 percent of Shanghai students have had the thought of ending their lives flash into their mind, 5.85 percent have planned their suicide and 1.71 percent have made suicide attempts. , 15.23 percent have seriously considered it. This is a very major flaw. This immense pressure can wreck a children’s life, take away his bright future, and his life, in just minutes or second. Pressure can also affect a child’s psychological development and develop insecurity. All these will affect the student directly, as well as their close ones.

2) Teaching to the test

China education system contains a lot of tests, which explains the high pressure. This itself is a flaw, because the large amount of upcoming tests forces teachers to solely teach to the test so as to prepare the onslaught of exams and have no other time for other curriculums. In a way, it can be said that The Chinese educational system produces millions of test-taking experts. According to –Zhao, author of <Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon?>   , who lived and had education in China, he said that “Chinese education produces excellent test scores, a short-term outcome that can be achieved by rote memorization and hard work, but like the Chinese government itself, it does not produce a citizenry of diverse, creative, and innovative talent.”  Jiang Yalin, parent of the “kidney stone baby” have also mentioned “Chinese schools use a forced-feeding fashion to educate students, regarding test scores as most important. Teachers are like bosses and do not allow any individual opinion from the students. This leads to fixed and patterned minds of all students “ All these shows that Chinese education is just a system which facilitates rote memorization. This is ultimately detrimental, because this hampers creativity in children, because they are passive in receiving knowledge, providing them with llimited vision, and are not able to  adapt well as they learn through rote memorization. Furthermore, test-centric system causes widening gap between the “good” and “bad. Students have to be able to learn life skills and have the ability to compete and succeed in the global arena should they want to survive in the society, but the teaching of the test hampers the needed abilities for survival in the society.  I have actually went to consult several of my classmates, 2, who has done a topic related to China’s education system. Their question is whether China’s education system sufficiently equips its students with the necessary skills to succeed in the global arena. So here are their responses:

(Yee Kiat, analyst)

Hence, this shows that the education system of china is unable to equip students with the necessary skills to succeed in the global arena, which is detrimental as students will be unprepared and will most likely succumb to the pressure that they have to withstand in the society due to the fact that they are not actually prepared, furthermore, the “teaching to the test” further hampers the students’ ability to think creatively, as well as cos them to not be as independent or have the ability to search for information or gain knowledge themselves since it is being spoon-fed to them.

3)  Elitist education

Education in China is essentially elitist. This is due to the fact that there are many Chinese students per class due to the large population. Shanghainese classrooms have about 40 students and in the countryside classes have over 60. The china education system feels that the most efficient way to organize all these children is by testing, categorizing and grading them –which is elitist. Students that excel in school are rewarded with prizes and encouragement, but struggling students are abandoned. I read up on an article on Guardian by Sanga Ringmar, and this is what he said “I once served as a translator for the principal of my school when seven Swedish principals came to visit Shanghai. The Swedes asked what the school did for students with "special needs" and the principal answered:

The special students who are doing well in class? We make sure to put a lot of focus on them.” This shows that china education system does not really care about the weaker students, due to them prioritizing over the better students and providing them with better education, the weaker students are being neglected. If china wishes to produce a knowledge based workforce and economy, as well as raise its literacy rate, it has to ensure students have equal attention and ensure that no one falls behind.

4) Rural education is neglected in China

š  This is an article I have found regarding rural education.  So in rural areas and countryside, there are growing numbers that are entering senior middle-school, but it is far less common. In 1990 just 7% of rural students did so. Today the figure may be just over one-third. Also, dropout rates are high at junior level. And a study of rural students in four provinces found that hey ranged between more than one-sixth to nearly a third.  The reason behind them being less educated is partly because of money, Senior middle-schools are often far away from villages, so students have to board. Including the cost of books, food., boarding, etc, the total amount of money students in rural areas have to pay is much more than a year’s income for poorer rural families, hence it makes having education extremely difficult. Also, Wages for low-skilled work have increased greatly in recent, so many students in rural areas believe that these are decent jobs, hence giving up their education for such jobs. Furthermore, about half fail the test to get into senior middle-school. Thus, If the country is to create the “knowledge economy” it says it wants, the government will have to change the way rural teenagers are educated and schools in the countryside are funded.

Merits: This are the following merits I have found about the China’s education system

1)      Solid foundation for future education

As education in china focuses a lot on tests, memorisation plays a big part in students life. This causes in general, students to have a hard work ethic, resulting in success of students, which are temporary. Due to hard practice, and days and nights of studying, it is very hard for china students to forget what they have learnt- Whatever they learn is permanently installed in their brain. This lays a good foundation for them when they further their education. Furthermore, these students also have the discipline to study hard, hence ensuring success in their studies should they further it. This aids them should they want to further their education.

š  2) 尊师重道- Respect for teachers

I found out that teachers in China are given a lot of respect. For example, teachers do not taxes on their salary, and they receive their own national holiday, Teachers Day, on September 29^th. Furthermore, according to Varkey GEMS Foundation Global Teacher Status Index, Teachers from China have a ranking of Number 1. Also, according to an extensive study conducted by the University of Sussex in the U.K. that examined public attitudes towards professional status, trust, pay and the desirability of teaching as a career, China topped the charts leaving many European nations and the U.S. far behind. In China, teachers are held in the same esteem as doctors. This is a merit, because respect for teacher is essential for a conducive learning environment. A teacher who is disrespected and not listened to cannot teach well, and the students are uncooperative.

Weighing

Education system focuses a lot on children. I have searched countless definitions of purpose of schools and all their answers revolves around developing children and students. Hence, I believe to weigh the merits and flaws I have to find out how significant impact will these flaws of merits have on the students.

For merits

For the solid foundation for future education, I believe this merit only provides short term benefits for the students. Students will only have a chance of experiencing such positive effects in their academic years and pursue. Once they graduate or stop their academic pursue, and enter the workforce, global arena, it will not affect the, anymore.

As for respect for teachers, I believe it will indirectly affect students. When teachers are well respected and students listen to the teachers, there will be a conducive environment for students to gain knowledge, and for teachers to impart their knowledge. As teaching in china is a well coveted job, teachers will be more qualified, and students will benefit from this- more experienced teachers-chance of imparting knowledge and wisdom is higher however, this does not directly affect the students. This Merit focuses more on teachers, and its effects directly affect the teachers, not the students.

For Flaws:

Pressure will affect the students directly. Pressure is a direct form of negative impact. It can have a significant adverse impact on a student’s life, leading to suicides, depression etc.

Elitist Education will affect students, mostly the under privileged, under achievers, and the students who don’t do so well in tests-resulting in them being neglected, and are not able to realize their full potential.

 Rigid teaching to the test will affect the students in the long run, after they graduate, when they are trying to enter the society, or find a job. They are not equipped with skills to succeed in a global arena.

Rural education neglected will affects rural students directly.

Viewpoint:

I have tried to go to both disagree and agree viewpoints to the thesis statement and this is what I would say to back up my disagree or agree:

Agree. Although China’s education system has its merits, the flaws definitely outweigh its merits. All the flaws have a direct effect and impact on the students, be it short term, or long term. Education system’s beneficiaries largely revolves around students, with the aim of schools being to develop and impart knowledge upon students. These flaws act as a road block to a students’ development, and impede them from being equipped with skills to survive in the society, as well as succeed in global area.

Disagree. Respect for teachers, as well as the qualifications and how professional the teachers are, plays an important role in the education of students. With professional, highly qualified, committed teachers, flaws such as pressure, neglecting weaker students, can be reduced to a large extent

My stand

I agree to the stand more, as the flaws do outweigh its merits. The merits only benefit students on the short term, in the long term students will actually suffer from it. Their ability to study will not provide them with the skills to survive in the society or compete in the global arena. Furthermore,  as much as teachers can help to alleviate a certain extent of pressure on students, the pressure mostly comes from the educational system and the large number of tests, in which teachers are not able to change, and no matter how good these teachers are, they still have to teach to the test, which will limit a good teacher’s capability to impart knowledge and differentiate a good teacher from a bad teacher as all teachers know how to teach to the test.

Personal evaluations: Summary (Essay)

I agree to a large extent to the fact that China's education system's flaws outweighs its merits, as the impact caused by the flaws of the system are more grave and serious as compared to what the merits can bring for the children.

China has two main major flaws, namely pressure, and teaching to the test-both affects every student in China, hence they are larger in terms of impact and is deemed as a major flaw.

Firstly, China Education System gives too much pressure to the students taking the tests. Each year, there are about 500 students who commit suicide, and suicide is ranked 5th as China's most common cause of deaths. This pressure stems from the large amount of tests students have to take, especially the gao kao. Gao Kao is a worldwide exam which determines which university you go, and is symbolically the students future- if they do well, a good future with a decent pay is more or less guaranteed, and vice versa.  This is also due to the fact that China's population is huge. This essentially means that although china has more universities than most countries given its abundant land, the university slots are still more limited and few as compared to those in other countries. The reason why gao kao is so pressurizing is because students are competing with thousands and millions of students worldwide just to get into the few university slots. Also, Luo Mei Hua, a teacher at Xinhua No.1 Middle School in Hunan province, said that: “Children are pushed by parents but there is no help from Chinese media. They never provide supervision regarding how to relax children’s minds. Therefore when they take anything too hard they just commit suicide”. This shows how pressurizing it is for students to study in china. This is a major flaw as this pressure is life threatening, if the pressure is not handled properly, students may commit suicide should they be unable to withstand the pressure, or in less severe cases they will have lower self esteem or depressions.

Secondly, China Education System teaches to the test. This is because there are a lot of tests to be taken throughout the school years, from the 9 compulsory years to secondary school and tertiary education, and lastly the fate-deciding gao kao. Teachers have no choice but to teach to the test because the schedules and tests are just too tight. This is a major flaw, as the teaching to the test will hamper creativity in children, because they are passive in receiving knowledge, have limited vision, and are not able to  adapt well as they learn through rote memorization. In this 21st century, where skills, creativity, communication, is valued in the global work force and society,  Students have to be able to learn life skills and have the ability to compete and succeed in the global arena should they want to survive in the society, but the teaching of the test hampers the needed abilities for survival in the society. This flaw is serious as it will affect the students in the long term run. Although students may not notice the side effects of this "teaching to the test", they will surely experience it when they enter the work force or the society.

However, it is undeniable that China Education System does have its merits. China Education system, albeit teaching to the test, and causing students to study long term hours for exams, lays down for students a good foundation for further studies. Because of the the intense pressure and days of studying, students are pretty much accustomed to it, and are used to rote memorization. This will allow students to easily further their education and pursue knowledge with ease, because they study very hard. They hence have better work ethnic and are able to takes on tests and exams readily, any where, any time.Furthermore, teachers in China are largely respected, akin to holding the position of doctors in China. This allows teachers to teach and conduct conducive learning environment in china, with students paying attention and listening to the teachers.

In conclusion, I agree to a large extent that the flaws of china education system outweigh its merits. The mentioned merits only affect students on a short term, on their academic life, and is most applicable only to students who wish to further their education, or enter tertiary education. The flaws however, can have immediate, as well as long-term devastating impacts on the students. Pressure affect every students, and it can be aggravated by external factors such as parents and teachers. Teaching to the test, will hamper students' creativity which will cause them to be unable to survive or succeed in the global arena, which is a long term impact that will affect their lives in a great way.

Reflections (What I felt after this research)

This topic was not easy from the start, as the original topic only asked us "China Education system definitely have its merits". Searching the web, you could find tons and tons of negative points and flaws about the Chinese education System, bu rarely do you find positive aspects on the internet. I tweaked my topic, because I felt that my scope was too limited and the question limits my research, so by changing the question I will be able to have more coverage on the education system of china. 

Limitations

Firstly, I am not a student who has undergone schooling in China. This means that what I have read, seen, are all from the web. And as we all know, websites are not always reliable, and some sources may be biased. I cannot experience firsthand China Education System , which limits my research and my knowledge about the topic.However, on the other hand, this limitation allowed me to have a balanced and neutral viewpoint on this topic. I am not inclined to defend or "demolish" China's education system, due to the fact that I have not undergone education there. This limitation was countered through asking more about the education system from my classmates who studied in china for a while. I tried to broaden and know more about the chinese education system by researching alot on this system, and hence was able to put up with a decent conclusion, and a better basis of comparison between flaws and merits.

Burning Questions

Why didn't I compare china's education system with other education system? This question popped up in my head when I was doing the research, and in the end, I still did not make a comparison. The reason why is because China has too many external factors and differences from other countries, which will hamper the comparison, as comparisons are best only when there are same factors given, but different results produced. Not one country is the same, and whatever that is implemented there and successful may not be so in another country. This can be seen from Finland. Although it has the best education in the world, not many countries are emulating its education system. This is because each country is different and not all education systems are appropriate and suitable for one another.  Hence, I did not compare china with other countries. 

Flaws as merits?

In a way, the merits can also be the flaws of Chinese education system. In China, teachers are being held with high regards, and are respected and valued in the society. Apart from meaning that teachers can teach more effectively and conduct conducive learning environment, teachers can also abuse that position. That being said, the chances are highly unlikely, as the qualifications for teaching is strict, given how highly regarded it is in China, and teachers are well trained and well qualified to teach the students.

I feel that China's education system can be improved tremendously if some changes were brought to china;s education system.  The most essential thing which would remove most of the flaws would be to reduce the amount of tests taken. The large amount of tests creates pressure and forces teachers to teach to the test due to the tight schedule. Removing this factor will allows students to have less pressure, and not "taught to the test" which will allow them to expand their curiosity and creativity, and allow teachers to equip students with lifelong skills and ability to succeed in the global arena. I feel that the fact that teachers are respected in China is very crucial, and other countries should all emulate china's respect for teachers. Teachers being respected is crucial for a conducive learning environment, and this also ensures the quality and professionalism of the teachers.