I haven't been blogging for the last couple of weeks because now is time to get ready for my Chinese exam next week, so not only haven't I wanted to spend much time blogging, but I also haven't been seeing a lot of blog-worthy things. What I'm really looking forward to is not the test, but the the arrival of two special visitors the following day.
Since both Michelle and David will be getting their names on the Visitors Point Tally with this
visit, I've re-posted the details of the VPT in the comment below.
I promise more postings after this week!
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
China's National College Entrance Exam 高考
This week is China's annual national college entrance exam, known less-than-affectionately as the "gao kao." The gao kao is the only way for most students to get into university.
The gao kao would be just another rite of passage, if it weren't for the shortage of slots at universities. According to the Ministry of Education, 5.67 million students will be able to enroll in college this fall, but over 10 million have registered for the exam. Chinese people describe the gao kao as 千军万马过独木桥 "a thousand soldiers and 10,000 horses crossing single plank bridge."
Moreover, not all of the available university slots are equal. This year's college graduates faced a serious job shortage, with many taking menial jobs just to have some income, so a degree from one of the higher-ranked universities is an essential asset in the intense competition for good jobs. It's true that the Chinese economy is growing wildly, but 1.3 billion is an awfully large population to employ, and many of the available jobs are for skilled laborers, not educated intellectuals, in the construction or manufacturing sectors.
Adding to the pressure on this weeks test takers is the fact that they are mostly only-children, and they have both a cultural and a legal responsibility to provide financially for both their parents in the future. Their performance on this week's test will determine not only which university their attend, but also to some extent which major they will be allowed to study, and thus their future profession. Rural families are known to give up their farming, home, and income to move to cities where, due to the quirks of the test system, their child will be able to get into a university with a lower score than those who attend high school in the village.
For a more complete picture of how intense the pressure these high school students face, and the ferocious tempest of parental angst that swirls around them, check out this sampling of articles in the last month alone:
June 5: Stressed Parents Drug Kids for Exam - Some stressed out parents in Shanghai have been searching for a prescription stimulant to give their children ahead of this week's national college exams, according to the Beijing News. Pushy parents and grandparents are as anxious as the youngsters about the highly competitive exam, and would buy whatever tonics and drugs were promoted on TV or recommended by friends. They were also booking quiet but expensive hotel rooms near examination halls.
June 1: Police Seize Cheating Devices Before Exam - A market inspector shows a purse-like electronic device made for cheating ahead of the national college entrance exam in Jinan, East China's Shandong Province, May 31, 2007. Police raided a shop and confiscated a large number of cheating devices.
May 30: Worried Parents Told to Relax - An event held last weekend that was designed to provide free psychological counseling for students ahead of their college entrance exams ended up attracting more parents than teenagers. One father said, "I would wake up suddenly in the night, thinking that my son was going to fail his exam; then I would not be able to get back to sleep."
May 29: China Establishes "Credibility Record" to Combat Exam Fraud - Cases of cheating in national educational tests, including the College Entrance Examination and postgraduate recruitment exams, would be entered on the record. The record, expected to be available online, would be open to higher educational institutions and employers for reference.
May 10: Maids Sought for Exam Season - Demand for specialized ayi, or domestic helpers, trained in nutrition and student psychology and skilled at cooking, is growing as the entrance examinations for universities and senior high-schools draw near.
This last one is a bit older, but illustrative.
Apr 19: Leak of College Entrance Exam Paper "Impossible" - The people who design the college entrance exam papers are "confined" in certain places during the exam conception phase and hand over their mobile phones and computers during the process. After the exam papers have been written, the exam designers are "confined" for a further 30 to 40 days for the sake of confidentiality.
The gao kao would be just another rite of passage, if it weren't for the shortage of slots at universities. According to the Ministry of Education, 5.67 million students will be able to enroll in college this fall, but over 10 million have registered for the exam. Chinese people describe the gao kao as 千军万马过独木桥 "a thousand soldiers and 10,000 horses crossing single plank bridge."
Moreover, not all of the available university slots are equal. This year's college graduates faced a serious job shortage, with many taking menial jobs just to have some income, so a degree from one of the higher-ranked universities is an essential asset in the intense competition for good jobs. It's true that the Chinese economy is growing wildly, but 1.3 billion is an awfully large population to employ, and many of the available jobs are for skilled laborers, not educated intellectuals, in the construction or manufacturing sectors.
Adding to the pressure on this weeks test takers is the fact that they are mostly only-children, and they have both a cultural and a legal responsibility to provide financially for both their parents in the future. Their performance on this week's test will determine not only which university their attend, but also to some extent which major they will be allowed to study, and thus their future profession. Rural families are known to give up their farming, home, and income to move to cities where, due to the quirks of the test system, their child will be able to get into a university with a lower score than those who attend high school in the village.
For a more complete picture of how intense the pressure these high school students face, and the ferocious tempest of parental angst that swirls around them, check out this sampling of articles in the last month alone:
June 5: Stressed Parents Drug Kids for Exam - Some stressed out parents in Shanghai have been searching for a prescription stimulant to give their children ahead of this week's national college exams, according to the Beijing News. Pushy parents and grandparents are as anxious as the youngsters about the highly competitive exam, and would buy whatever tonics and drugs were promoted on TV or recommended by friends. They were also booking quiet but expensive hotel rooms near examination halls.
June 1: Police Seize Cheating Devices Before Exam - A market inspector shows a purse-like electronic device made for cheating ahead of the national college entrance exam in Jinan, East China's Shandong Province, May 31, 2007. Police raided a shop and confiscated a large number of cheating devices.
May 30: Worried Parents Told to Relax - An event held last weekend that was designed to provide free psychological counseling for students ahead of their college entrance exams ended up attracting more parents than teenagers. One father said, "I would wake up suddenly in the night, thinking that my son was going to fail his exam; then I would not be able to get back to sleep."
May 29: China Establishes "Credibility Record" to Combat Exam Fraud - Cases of cheating in national educational tests, including the College Entrance Examination and postgraduate recruitment exams, would be entered on the record. The record, expected to be available online, would be open to higher educational institutions and employers for reference.
May 10: Maids Sought for Exam Season - Demand for specialized ayi, or domestic helpers, trained in nutrition and student psychology and skilled at cooking, is growing as the entrance examinations for universities and senior high-schools draw near.
This last one is a bit older, but illustrative.
Apr 19: Leak of College Entrance Exam Paper "Impossible" - The people who design the college entrance exam papers are "confined" in certain places during the exam conception phase and hand over their mobile phones and computers during the process. After the exam papers have been written, the exam designers are "confined" for a further 30 to 40 days for the sake of confidentiality.
Harmonious Society's Harmonious Exercise
Like the US and much of the West, China is facing a growing - literally - problem with juvenile obesity. China's modern, only children are less active and better-fed than previous generations, and the looming specter of the 高考 "gaokao", the ridiculously intense college selection exam, ties many to their desk studying late into the night, with no time for recreational exercise.
A recent study by the Chinese Youth and Children's Research Center found that Chinese children spend an average of 8.6 hours per day at school, with some spending 12 hours per day in the classroom. After school and on weekends, most students - at all ages, not just those preparing for the gaokao - attend additional tutoring or "cram school" classes, and this does not include extracurricular activities such as music. They have very little time for free play and exercise, and 60% of respondents claimed they didn't even have any playmates.
The Ministry of Education has announced a solution: mandatory dancing. Elementary and secondary school students will be required, during their break periods or extra-curricular times, to practice specific 4-5 minute dances developed by the government specifically for this purpose. There are different dances for different ages, and the whole set of dances will be revised every two years. And of course, the teachers must learn the dances as well.
I wonder, considering the Ministry itself cites excessive homework and a shortage of time as reasons for children's failure to exercise, is forcing them to use their free time to do an activity many won't like really the best way to encourage good habits?
A recent study by the Chinese Youth and Children's Research Center found that Chinese children spend an average of 8.6 hours per day at school, with some spending 12 hours per day in the classroom. After school and on weekends, most students - at all ages, not just those preparing for the gaokao - attend additional tutoring or "cram school" classes, and this does not include extracurricular activities such as music. They have very little time for free play and exercise, and 60% of respondents claimed they didn't even have any playmates.
The Ministry of Education has announced a solution: mandatory dancing. Elementary and secondary school students will be required, during their break periods or extra-curricular times, to practice specific 4-5 minute dances developed by the government specifically for this purpose. There are different dances for different ages, and the whole set of dances will be revised every two years. And of course, the teachers must learn the dances as well.
I wonder, considering the Ministry itself cites excessive homework and a shortage of time as reasons for children's failure to exercise, is forcing them to use their free time to do an activity many won't like really the best way to encourage good habits?
Saturday, June 2, 2007
I don't make these things up...
Many advertisements in Chinese cities, including some I occasionally receive by SMS text on my cell phone, promise to make "genuine," or at least, realistic official documentation of any kind - diplomas, work verification, temporary resident cards, awards, etc. But I never saw an advertisement offering pre-framed English-language certificates for your wall...
Last weekend, I took a bunch of items to be framed, including my Foreign Service Officer commission. When I returned this morning to pick them up, the framed items were waiting in the showroom, alongside many other beautifully framed items for sale and pickup. The salesperson pointed to the commission told me, "Someone asked to buy
this one, but I said no!" Although the customer presumably didn't know exactly what it was, he told her, "It would make me look like I had big accomplishments."
Last weekend, I took a bunch of items to be framed, including my Foreign Service Officer commission. When I returned this morning to pick them up, the framed items were waiting in the showroom, alongside many other beautifully framed items for sale and pickup. The salesperson pointed to the commission told me, "Someone asked to buy
this one, but I said no!" Although the customer presumably didn't know exactly what it was, he told her, "It would make me look like I had big accomplishments."