Page 364 - 2020 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
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0 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
to develop an education system that will foster Even after accounting for differences in family
citizens with an all-around moral, intellectual, background and schools, Chinese children remain
physical and cultural grounding, in addition to one whole school year ahead of their peers in
a hard-working spirit. Moral education and all- most of Western countries. This is partly due to
round development of students will be priorities, parents investing more in out-of-school tuition
and the efforts must cover every student in and instilling a harder work ethic in their children.
every school. It also called for strengthening These out-of-school factors therefore play an
physical education, enhancing cultural training important role in explaining why Chinese and
with more art-based curriculums and activities, other East Asian children do so much better
and encouraging students to participate in more in the PISA test. Yet many of the key reasons
manual labor to boost their hard-working spirit. why East Asian children excel are cultural and
Some experts believe the guideline will reshape therefore beyond the control of schools. What the
the current education system, allow students data really teaches us is that parents and family
to relieve pressure from too much study and culture matter a great deal. Successful academic
boost their all-round development. Under the performance depends on a lot more than just the
current exam-oriented education system, Chinese “performance” of our education system, teachers
students are overloaded with schoolwork and lack and schools (Jerrim). The unevenness of China’s
sufficient physical exercise, which has given rise economic and social development over the past
to health problems such as obesity and myopia. three decades has created a stratified society
The implementation of this new guideline will take which has had a major impact on educational
time, but the goal is clear: moral education and inequality, especially in higher education.
all-round development of students. Authorities Nevertheless, relatively little attention has been
in some provinces in China are already piloting a paid to its role in achieving social justice and
variety of ways to deal with issues in the current maintaining a harmonious society. The renewal of
education system (Zhong et al.). higher education was a key part of Deng Xiaoping’s
development strategy, begun in 1978, to open
While some experts praised the intention of the China to the world. State control was maintained
bill, others felt that tests were too deeply ingrained and the universities continued to serve the policy
in the Chinese education system, parents’ requirements of the Communist Party. Yet gradual
expectation and even officials’ promotions to be adjustments were made. A high value was placed
downgraded. The whole system for promotions -- on scientific knowledge, innovation and the
from teachers, to principals, to local officials, as application of research, compared with traditional
well as the head of the city or the province -- all Chinese knowledge. University curricular were de-
are closely linked to the public exam results. More politicized and direct political control over student
than 150 million students are enrolled in China’s recruitment and behavior was relaxed—although
compulsory education system, attending about each institution continued to be monitored by its
220,000 schools across the country, according to internal CCP organization.
the Ministry of Education. Compulsory education
covers the first nine years of school for Chinese In the late 1990s, China’s higher education
students, up until high school. If those students system entered a new era, with the introduction
were separated from the rest of China, they of a new set of policies. This began with the state’s
would be the world’s ninth-largest country, with a decision in 1995 to develop world-class universities
population bigger than that of the United Kingdom, through its 211 projects involving the top 100
Australia and Canada combined. The Chinese universities and, since 1998, through its 985
government’s plan doesn’t get rid of the gaokao projects involving the top 40 universities. These led
or the zhongkao, but encourages schools to stop to strict ranking of higher education institutions
using other tests and rankings to determine which with privileged state financial support. This was
students to accept, taking the pressure off pupils. followed by the devolution of responsibility
It also calls for parents to stop putting unhealthy for around 300 other universities to provincial
pressure on their children to succeed at tests. governments. It was a transition from a national
plan for the recruitment, training and employment
364
to develop an education system that will foster Even after accounting for differences in family
citizens with an all-around moral, intellectual, background and schools, Chinese children remain
physical and cultural grounding, in addition to one whole school year ahead of their peers in
a hard-working spirit. Moral education and all- most of Western countries. This is partly due to
round development of students will be priorities, parents investing more in out-of-school tuition
and the efforts must cover every student in and instilling a harder work ethic in their children.
every school. It also called for strengthening These out-of-school factors therefore play an
physical education, enhancing cultural training important role in explaining why Chinese and
with more art-based curriculums and activities, other East Asian children do so much better
and encouraging students to participate in more in the PISA test. Yet many of the key reasons
manual labor to boost their hard-working spirit. why East Asian children excel are cultural and
Some experts believe the guideline will reshape therefore beyond the control of schools. What the
the current education system, allow students data really teaches us is that parents and family
to relieve pressure from too much study and culture matter a great deal. Successful academic
boost their all-round development. Under the performance depends on a lot more than just the
current exam-oriented education system, Chinese “performance” of our education system, teachers
students are overloaded with schoolwork and lack and schools (Jerrim). The unevenness of China’s
sufficient physical exercise, which has given rise economic and social development over the past
to health problems such as obesity and myopia. three decades has created a stratified society
The implementation of this new guideline will take which has had a major impact on educational
time, but the goal is clear: moral education and inequality, especially in higher education.
all-round development of students. Authorities Nevertheless, relatively little attention has been
in some provinces in China are already piloting a paid to its role in achieving social justice and
variety of ways to deal with issues in the current maintaining a harmonious society. The renewal of
education system (Zhong et al.). higher education was a key part of Deng Xiaoping’s
development strategy, begun in 1978, to open
While some experts praised the intention of the China to the world. State control was maintained
bill, others felt that tests were too deeply ingrained and the universities continued to serve the policy
in the Chinese education system, parents’ requirements of the Communist Party. Yet gradual
expectation and even officials’ promotions to be adjustments were made. A high value was placed
downgraded. The whole system for promotions -- on scientific knowledge, innovation and the
from teachers, to principals, to local officials, as application of research, compared with traditional
well as the head of the city or the province -- all Chinese knowledge. University curricular were de-
are closely linked to the public exam results. More politicized and direct political control over student
than 150 million students are enrolled in China’s recruitment and behavior was relaxed—although
compulsory education system, attending about each institution continued to be monitored by its
220,000 schools across the country, according to internal CCP organization.
the Ministry of Education. Compulsory education
covers the first nine years of school for Chinese In the late 1990s, China’s higher education
students, up until high school. If those students system entered a new era, with the introduction
were separated from the rest of China, they of a new set of policies. This began with the state’s
would be the world’s ninth-largest country, with a decision in 1995 to develop world-class universities
population bigger than that of the United Kingdom, through its 211 projects involving the top 100
Australia and Canada combined. The Chinese universities and, since 1998, through its 985
government’s plan doesn’t get rid of the gaokao projects involving the top 40 universities. These led
or the zhongkao, but encourages schools to stop to strict ranking of higher education institutions
using other tests and rankings to determine which with privileged state financial support. This was
students to accept, taking the pressure off pupils. followed by the devolution of responsibility
It also calls for parents to stop putting unhealthy for around 300 other universities to provincial
pressure on their children to succeed at tests. governments. It was a transition from a national
plan for the recruitment, training and employment
364
