Kids weary, parents crazy

(Ecns.cn)--Chinese parents are cramming skills into their children as early as kindergarten in order to get them in good primary schools, a crucial first step toward a reputable high school, a top university and then – hopefully – a decent job.

But the number of vacancies in top primary schools is limited, putting a squeeze on the inevitably huge number of applicants. The problem is worsened by an education policy that condones "school selection" fees, a practice that allows wealthy families to buy their way in.

"I thought all primary schools were similar to each other in terms of quality. But after I investigated the schools near my home, I found that there are big differences in teaching and facilities," said Zhang Lin (alias), a Beijing mother who took more than half a year to select a primary school for her son.

Mathematics, Chinese and many other skills are tested during entrance examinations, and talents such as singing, sports, English and musical instruments are also a plus. Some of the problems are hard to solve even for adults, Zhang told China Newsweek.

Last June, a woman took her son to a primary school entrance exam in Shanghai. She was shocked: her son had one hour to answer 200 questions covering a staggering variety of topics.

Another woman complained that her daughter had been rejected by a school in Beijing's Haidian District for knowing nothing of Chinese phonetic transcription, basic Chinese characters or simple mathematics.

According to Kang Jian, a professor at Peking University's Graduate School of Education, the situation is worrisome: Children should be given first-hand experience to develop their interests and imagination, not forced to learn things that belong to the adult world, he said.

Yet knowledge and skills are a relatively weak bargaining chip for entry into good primary schools. That's because the current system requires kids to attend schools located in their communities; if they are to attend prominent schools elsewhere, their parents must either own a house in that area or pay "school selection" fees.

A survey conducted by China Realty Research Center and Sohu.com found that more than 90 percent of Beijing homebuyers chose neighborhoods near good schools. Of those people, 60 percent with plans to upgrade to larger apartments ranked their children's education as the top priority.

Consequently, the cost of real estate linked to prominent schools has soared. A survey conducted by China Newsweek revealed that the average price of such housing in Beijing is currently about 40,000 yuan (US$6,324) per square meter, and such properties are always in short supply.

School selection fees are equally daunting: Beijing-based Jingshan School charges school-selection fees as high as 250,000 yuan. That's the highest in the capital, followed by the Primary School Attached to Peking University (180,000 yuan) and Beijing No.2 Experimental Primary School (170,000 yuan).

Not surprisingly, top schools are filled with children from rich families.

Flawed educational policies and an imbalance of resource distribution are the causes of the problem, experts say.

The National Audit Office surveyed 54 counties for funding of rural compulsory education from January 2006 to June 2007. The results showed that eight of the counties failed to allot funds as regulated, and five reduced amounts instead of increasing them.

Unbalanced development of compulsory education may "favor" many local governments, because it can help generate extra revenue from school-selection fees and reduce their spending on education, Xiong Bingqi, deputy director of the Beijing-based 21st Century Education Research Institute, told China Daily.

Education departments can even save money by exchanging resources with other government departments, Xiong added.

"The school-selection fees, which for all intents and purposes are illegal, should be banned immediately to ensure that compulsory education develops in a balanced and proper way. The funding security mechanism for compulsory education should be changed and efforts should be made at both national and local levels to increase allocations. In addition, an education management system must be established to guarantee the public's right to participate in decision-making and supervision," said Xiong.