Chinese education in foreigners’ eyes

Background:

Pisa test is the Programme for International Student Assessment. This test is used to measure children’s skills in reading, calculating and science. It has become the leading international standard.

  Yesterday, I read an article on BBC News. The title is “China: the world’s cleverest country?” I found it interesting and want to talk about it today.

In the article, the person who is responsible for Pisa test said that, China’s results are remarkable. The findings indicate that China has an education system that is overtaking many Western countries.

There has been intense interest in China’s economic and political development. this provides the most significant insight into how it is teaching the next generation. An American said, on a recent trip to a poor province in China, he saw that schools were often the most impressive buildings while in the West, it is more likely to be a shopping centre. He said that you get an image of a society that is investing in its future, rather than in current consumption.

There were also major cultural differences when teenagers were asked about why people succeeded at school. North Americans tell you typically it is all luck. They will say ‘I’m born talented in mathematics, or I’m born less talented so I’ll study something else. In Europe, it’s about social heritage. They will say ’My father was a plumber so I’m going to be a plumber’. In China, more than nine out of 10 children tell you: ‘It depends on the effort I invest and I can succeed if I study hard.’ They take on responsibility. They can overcome obstacles and say ‘I’m the owner of my own success’, rather than blaming it on the system.”

  I think the writer has some misunderstanding in Chinese education to some degree. The actual situation may be not so terrific as they explain. Maybe the reason of the intense interest in economics and political development is the money worship, but not the government’s insight into how it is teaching the next generation. Maybe the reason of children’s investing effort is that they become numb forced by the education system, but not they take on responsibility and be the owner of their own success.

  We all know that China has a lot of problems in copying, fake, creativity, education, and so on. And for a more than one billion people country, we cannot make an immediate change if we want to solve these problems. But we should not feel ashamed. We should not lose confidence. As long as we keep working on solving these problems even though we know China is not perfect, can we make it a better and really feel proud of it.