It's called the gao kao (pronounced "gow cow"). It means the "high test." And your scores on it must be high, indeed, to secure a place at one of China's first-tier universities. To harbor hope of any manner of professional life makes admission to some university essential—and the gao kao score is the sole criterion for university admission. So everything depends on it.
China now appears to be reflecting an understanding of the importance of developing its human capital, which means providing higher education to its substantial population of higher potential students. But the number of universities and the opportunities are relatively fewer in China, and the competition for seats at the best of them is as competitive as any universities in the world.
This article in Slate describes the perpetual stress of preparing year after year for the gao kao. It is a two-day test that measures everything students have learned in their entire academic lives and, in a most real sense, determines their academic and professional future. And as is the case with some of their Asian neighbors, they appear to believe it acceptable, even necessary to their competitive success, to sacrifice a more flexible and nurthuring childhood education and development process. That's high-stakes testing—and high-stakes education, too.
http://www.slate.com/id/2192732/?GT1=38001
No comments:
Post a Comment