In China this weekend, 10 Million students will sit for two days of
examinations to get into just over 4 million university places. & how
they are graded, if they succeed, will dictate which university and
for what course they can enter. & then the costs begin ... The stress
on the young people to do sell for their entire family is incredible.
Many failed students commit suicide, and the tough ones who have a
second go are often successful but may even then only reach a
university like the one I teach at - a lowly ranked fourth grade
regional (Normal meaning Teachers) university. The amount of
corruption and skulduggery that goes on in the lead up to the
examination is incredible, to the nation's shame. Students who have
passed the exam before can get paid up to 10,000 yuan to sit the exam
for another student - fake IDs and all are involved. It is a
cut-throat business.
I have students who are barely above poverty level and who live on so
little it makes you weep - but these students are so proud to be here
and dedicated to their work. When I correct them or mark them down in
a paper, they are devastated. To fail a student here is really an
extremely tough decision. I give the lower students extra attention to
make sure they get over the line. The stress is on the teaching staff
too.
I didn't mean to give you all a lecture on China's ed system. But of
course it is constantly on my mind and Kasper's entrance examination
brought up the subject.
Andrew
On 07/06/07, Dominic Fox <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> kasper salonen wrote:
> > that's the way I feel. but university is free in Finland, they have to
> > rank people in somehow (& personally I think learning is a better
> > method than money). plus they don't demand graduate level
> > understanding of things, just enough to be able to see which 60 people
> > of the 400-or-so are allowed in.
> What an immoral arrangement! Clearly they should admit all-comers,
> irrespective of any qualification, and charge them handsomely for the
> privilege of being spoon-fed at the level of the least capable of their
> peers. That's the only way to run a world-class university system these
> days.
>
> Dominic
>
--
Andrew
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