Open up education system for reform
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Some people may worry that opening up of the education system could make it fully market-oriented and undermine public interest. But Zhang disagrees. He says the government should indeed play a role in the education system but that role should not be of arbitrary intervention. The problem with the education department is that it ignores several crucial issues that require its attention. For example, the ratio of college students from the countryside has been falling over the past few years because the authorities have failed to maintain the educational balance between urban and rural areas.
The education department's main responsibilities are to guarantee equity in education and supervise the operations of schools at all levels, Zhang says. The department should focus on making reasonable educational policies and monitoring the functioning of schools, and leave academic affairs to educators. In other words, it should concentrate on the operation of the entire education system, instead of giving instructions to individual schools and other educational institutions.
On the operational level, the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) should be reformed on a priority basis, he says. The pressure of the NCEE forces schools, teachers, parents and even the students to try, even if reluctantly, and consolidate the existing rigid education system. No education reform can succeed without the NCEE undergoing a change.
Zhang suggests the government to promote all-round diversification in the NCEE. Every college should be authorized to enroll students according to its own principles and criteria. And students should be free to take entrance exams of as many colleges as possible and choose which one to attend after qualifying for them.
This method has several benefits. It would change the existing "standard answer-style" system by offering students more chances and more choices. It would make education a tool for all-round development of students. And it would help build students with special talents by giving full play to their creativity.
Public participation is crucial to education reform. But, Zhang says, the authorities should not practice "tyranny of the majority". Education is a social issue that relates to the development of the entire nation, not just of a few people. So the government should consider the opinions of educators and scholars who have conducted in-depth research and are more likely to be farsighted, rather than listening only to the public.
But Zhang concedes that some experts have lost their credibility after compromising on their ethics. That's why, in his articles, he urges intellectuals to maintain their independence. If education reform travels on the right track it will gradually change the unhealthy moral climate in schools and the wider society beyond the campuses.
It would be beautiful indeed to see the fruition of Zhang's ideas. But a lot of obstacles are still hindering education reform. Many people say it's hard to change the education system totally because other social sectors may be playing some role in maintaining status quo. For example, the inequity of college admission in different areas is closely related to China's hukou (household registration) system: Students have to take the NCEE in the place where their residence is registered, while colleges accept a different number of students in different areas. Rapid urbanization will draw more workers from rural areas to the cities in the coming years and the hukou system will make it more difficult for their children to get proper education.
But somebody has to take the initiative toward proper education reform. As an educator, Zhang says the education system, which is full of intellectuals, is best placed to break the deadlock. Intellectuals, especially teachers, have the social responsibility to make the first move. And only when China's education system can fully accept openness and diversification, can it produce brilliant brains to serve society.
