China

 China has the largest education system in the world.

 China's higher education system, one of the largest in the world, has evolved quickly
and contributed greatly to the country's development during the past seven decades,
the report said.
 The number of colleges and universities in the country now stands at almost 2,900,
and is second only to the United States.

 China has a consistent teacher development system

 Teaching has historically been and remains today a highly respected profession in
China
 Teachers have strong preparation in their subject matter and prospective teachers
spend a great deal of time observing the classrooms of experienced teachers, often in
schools attached to their universities
 Once teachers are employed in school, there is a system of induction and continuous
professional development in which groups of teachers work together with master
teachers on lesson plans and improvement.
 Nine-Year Compulsory Education in China
 Nine-year compulsory education policy in China enables students over six years old
nationwide to have free education at both primary schools (grade 1 to 6) and junior
secondary schools (grade 7 to 9). The policy is funded by government, tuition is free.
Schools still charge miscellaneous fees. Senior secondary school (grade 10 to 12) and
college education are not compulsory and free in China.
 Back in 1949, 80% of the Chinese population was illiterate; the enrollment rate of
elementary schools was below 20% and the junior secondary school enrollment rate
stood at a mere 6%.
 In 1949 when the People's Republic of China was founded, only 117,000 students
were attending colleges or universities. But the number soared to 37 million in 2015
- the world's largest student population.
 Starting from September 1st, 2008, about 28 million students of compulsory education
in urban areas were exempted of the tuition and miscellaneous fees. By far, 160
million students are exempted of tuition and miscellaneous fees and we have
universalized free compulsory education for all in overall China.
 In 2008, there were a total of 300,900 elementary schools, with 103,315,100 students;
57,900 junior secondary schools, with 55,849,700 students. By 2008, the net
enrollment rate of elementary schools and the gross enrollment rate of junior
secondary schools have increased to 99.5% and 98.5% respectively, while the adult
illiteracy rate has been reduced to 3.58%.

 China is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to the traditional international student

cities of London, New York or Paris.

 With ambitious plans to significantly increase the number of international students in

the country, the Chinese government seems committed to showing a new side of an
ancient country.
  Year on year, the number of international students in the country has been rising since
2011. By 2020 it is expected that more than half a million foreign students will be
studying at a Chinese university. This is because of a number of government
initiatives such as “One Belt, One Road”, which aims to attract international students
to the country.
 For decades China has been a one-way departure lounge for its young population
heading out into the world. During the last 35 years it’s estimated that more than 4.5
million Chinese studied outside the country. Twenty years ago a mere 3.4 million
students were enrolled within Chinese universities: now there are more than 26
million, with about half a million overseas students.
 China also sends more students abroad than any other nation, with 700,000 of its
citizens studying internationally.

 Entry requirements for international students are relatively lax compared with those for
Chinese students.

 The notoriously tough GaoKao entrance exam takes over the lives of Chinese students
going to university with a once-a-year shot at passing the rigorous two-day assessment
of knowledge accumulation and application. This exam is so important that the
country effectively enters a period of shut-down, with all building and construction
works halted, car horns banned and police dispersed to ensure any distractions are
kept to a minimum.
 For international students however, the process is much simpler. Some higher ranking
universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University will implement their
own entrance exams but these would be more in-line with a British entrance exam.
Others will offer a place with no testing required.

Structure of the Chinese education system

 In China, the education is divided into three categories: basic education, higher education,
and adult education. By law, each child must have nine years of compulsory education
from primary school (six years) to junior secondary education (three years).

 Basic Education

 Basic education in China includes pre-school education (usually three years), primary
education (six years, usually starting at the age of six) and secondary education
(six years).

 Secondary Education

 Secondary education has two routes: academic secondary education and

specialized/vocational/technical secondary education. Academic secondary education
consists of junior (three years) and senior middle schools (three years). Junior middle
school graduates wishing to continue their education take a locally administered entrance
exam, on the basis of which they will have the option of i) continuing in an academic
 senior middle school; or ii) entering a vocational middle school (or leave school at this
point) to receive two to four years of training. Senior middle school graduates wishing
to go to universities must take National Higher Education Entrance Exam (Gao Kao).

 Higher Education

 Higher education is further divided into two categories: 1) universities that offer four-
year or five-year undergraduate degrees to award academic degree qualifications; and 2)
colleges that offer three-year diploma or certificate courses on both academic and
vocational subjects. Postgraduate and doctoral programmes are only offered at
universities.

 Adult Education

 The adult education ranges from primary education to higher education. For example,
adult primary education includes Workers’ Primary Schools, Peasants’ Primary Schools
in an effort to raise literacy level in remote areas; adult secondary education includes
specialized secondary schools for adults; and adult higher education includes traditional
radio/TV universities (now online), most of which offer certificates/diplomas but a few
offer regular undergraduate degrees.

Term times and school hours

 The academic year is divided into two terms for all the educational institutions: February
to mid-July (six weeks summer vocation) and September to mid/late-January (four weeks
winter vocation). There are no half-terms.
 Most schools start from early morning (about 7:30am) to early evening (about 6pm) with
2 hours lunch break. Many schools have evening self-study classes running from 7pm-9pm
so students can finish their homework and prepare for endless tests. If schools do not run
self-study evening classes, students still have to do their homework at home, usually up to
10pm. On average, a primary school pupils spend about seven to eight hours at school
whilst a secondary school student spends about twelve to fourteen hours at school if
including lunch time and evening classes. Due to fierce competitiveness to get into good
universities, the pressure to do well for Gao Kao is intense. Many schools hold extra
morning classes in science and math for three to four hours on Saturdays. If schools do not
have Saturday morning classes, most parents would send their children to expensive
cramming school at weekends or organise one-to-one private tuition for their children over
the weekend.

Teaching Profession in China

  The scope of the teacher education system in the People's Republic of China is extensive.
In numerical terms, teachers in China form the largest teaching force in the world.

- In 1998, there were 229 training institutions at various levels with 138,745 education
majors enrolled.
- Yet this massive training system has barely met the demand for the number of teachers
required to sustain the even larger school system in terms of both quantity and quality.
A range of serious policy problems, organizational barriers, and socioeconomic factors
undermine the ability of the teacher education system to make adequate contributions
to the nation.

 There are two main categories of teachers in China, distinguished according to the source
and structure of their pay.

- The first category is the gongban (state-paid) teachers who are regarded as state
employees and earn a regular monthly salary comparable to other civil servants or
workers in state-owned enterprises
- The second category is the minban (community-paid) teachers who are paid by the
local community. Their monthly income depends on the economic conditions of the
local community.

 The education of teachers is directly supervised by the State Education Commission

Teacher Recruitment and Compensation

- Teaching has traditionally been a well-respected profession in China. Although Chinese

teachers’ salaries are not high, they are stable, particularly in big cities, and there are opportunities
to supplement income through tutoring, which makes the profession attractive to many top
candidates. Furthermore, universities allow priority admissions to teacher candidates, meaning that
teacher programs often have the first choice of many top students.

- There is no standardized system of teacher recruitment in China. Teaching positions can

be quite competitive in urban areas but rural areas often suffer from a shortage of candidates. As
a result, they often must employ “supply teachers,” or teachers who are primarily substitutes, in
their local schools.

- In recent years, the Chinese government has issued a set of policies aimed at improving
the quality of rural education. The government has initiated and funded several programs to
address teacher shortages and has set up programs to attract young people to work in rural and
disadvantaged regions

- For example, in 2006 the Special Teaching Post Plan for Rural Schools provided funding
to recruit graduates from universities to work for three years in rural schools in central or western
China, mainly in remote regions with minority populations and educationally disadvantaged
counties. After three years of teaching, teachers take a qualification exam. If they pass the exam
and are willing to stay, they can keep their teaching position. In 2015, about 90 percent of the
teachers who finished the three-year teaching period stayed in their posts.

Teacher Initial Education and Training

- The Ministry of Education (MOE) licenses teacher education programs, approves training
content, and certifies teachers. Teachers in China are educated in one of three types of schools.
Special upper secondary schools can qualify teachers for pre-school and primary positions with
the equivalent of a high school diploma. Normal colleges, which is the equivalent of a junior
college for teachers, typically train junior secondary teachers for two years following upper
secondary school. Finally, normal universities, again specifically for teachers, train upper
secondary teachers in a four-year bachelor’s degree program. Subject knowledge is emphasized
more than pedagogical knowledge as nearly all teachers only teach one subject, even at primary
schools.

- All primary school teachers must hold post-secondary, sub-degree diplomas, though they
may enroll in a teacher education school immediately after completing junior secondary education.
The programs are three to four years in length, and result in both a high school diploma and an
additional certificate

- Teachers must also undergo practical training. Secondary school teachers in Shanghai
must hold bachelor’s degrees along with a professional certificate, and many of these teachers also
hold master’s degrees. Prospective secondary school teachers undergo a similar set of courses and
practical training to primary school teachers, but may only enter teacher education programs after
successfully completing upper secondary school. For upper secondary school teaching candidates,
the program is typically four years; for those who want to teach lower secondary school, the
program may be as short as two to three years.

- After earning their diploma, teachers in China must be certified, which requires two
additional steps. First, they must pass the National Mandarin Language Test; afterwards, they must
take four examinations in the areas of pedagogy, psychology, teaching methods, and teaching
ability. Candidates are required to demonstrate teaching abilities such as classroom management
as part of this examination. In the past, teachers who attended a university for teacher education
were exempted from the four examinations because it was assumed that they have this knowledge
as a result of their program of study. However, now all teachers must pass the examinations.

- Once hired, new teachers in China must finish at least 120 hours of training before starting
their jobs. In Shanghai, in addition to this training, all new teachers are assigned a mentor for about
three years. The mentoring process involves all aspects of teaching including teaching materials,
lesson observation and critique, teaching methods, and development and marking of exams. Both
new teachers and their mentors are held accountable by the school leader for the new teacher’s
progress.

- Teacher professional learning takes many forms in China. Teachers are required to
undertake at least 360 professional development hours and renew their teacher qualification
certificate every five years. In addition, there are also many other job-embedded opportunities for
professional development, and the emphasis on teacher evaluation means that teachers are
constantly working to improve their practice. Teachers are given significant time during the school
day to collaborate with other teachers, often half of their day.

- Informally, teachers often observe one another’s lessons in order either to learn from a
more experienced or more effective teacher, or to serve in a mentorship capacity for a new or
struggling teacher. Teachers also often meet in regularly scheduled (often weekly) groups based
on subject and level to discuss best practices, share advice, and create common lesson plans for
the upcoming week. Occasionally, teachers will give demonstration lessons; these serve either as
a means of sharing best practice with other teachers or as a means of feedback and critique to the
teacher giving the lesson. Sometimes these school-based groups meet with groups from other
schools to be trained, to plan programs or to share ideas.

Chinese Teaching Method

- This idyllic setting characterises learning and teaching methods favoured by most schools
across China; the ‘teacher-led’ approach. Here, a teachers’ expertise makes them the most
important person in the classroom and gives them higher status than their students. This makes the
teacher an authoritative figure who is the sole source of subject-specific knowledge.
- The Chinese believe that students learn best by memorising information supplied through
repetition and note-taking. Teachers therefore use a systematic approach to planning and delivering
information-packed lessons to students who passively receive information. Focusing almost
entirely on the teacher, this approach requires few classroom resources and allows for little to no
student engagement.
- The reasons the teacher-led approach is the favoured Chinese teaching method can largely
be attributed to cultural values and beliefs. A Chinese person’s entire educational career centres
around success in the notoriously difficult College Entrance Exam (gaokao). Considered one of
the toughest exams in the world, gaokao results determine a person’s future career prospects and
earning potential. This makes it one of the most important events of a Chinese person’s life and
places extreme stress on even the brightest of students. The looming pressure of this exam becomes
apparent from an early age in China; students as young as 6 are conscious of the need to work
towards success no less than 12 years later. This inspires an admirable work ethic in students of
all ages and acts as a strong incentive for good behaviour. This pressure to succeed plays a key
role in effective classroom management in China.
- The importance of this exam influences Chinese teaching methods. Memorisation is
widely regarded as the primary route to successfully acquiring the large volumes of knowledge
tested in the gaokao. Their ‘expert’ status in the Chinese classroom means the teachers instruction
is considered the most efficient route to achieving this. This belief, combined with a widespread
respect for teachers in Chinese society, inspires a keenness among students to listen to the teacher.
Such is the sense that the teacher knows best, few students ask questions and some consider group
discussion a waste of time.
- The student-led approach used in the West arguably equips learners with better critical
thinking and problem-solving skills, useful in both an academic and non-academic sense. Learners
of this method develop a more well-rounded skillset, though evidence suggests they retain far less
information than their Chinese counterparts.
 - The gaokao is said to place unhealthy amounts of stress on Chinese students, which causes
some to take extreme measures towards success. Some parents allegedly hire professional exam
takers to pose as their children and ensure good results, behaviour that would be frowned upon in
the West.
- China’s strict education system and widespread respect for teachers encourages behaviour
that most in the West can only dream of. Though classroom management remains important, it
consumes far less time, allowing the Chinese teacher to focus on delivering the lesson. When
compared to the notoriously bad behaviour in some western countries, the advantages of the
teacher-led approach become apparent.
- Though Chinese teaching methods receive criticism from the West, they consistently
produce outstanding academic results in certain subject areas. Chinese students usually excel in
science and maths, while their western counterparts in those that require creativity and critical
thinking. Culture and societal beliefs undoubtedly influence teaching methods, however it’s certain
that both systems could learn a lot from one another.

 Teachers are treated with great respect

 They are always called by their last name with the ’Teacher’ prefix: for
instance, ’Teacher Zhan’ or ’Teacher Xian’ or even just ’Teacher.’ At one
school, students — both mine and others — gave a bow to me when we met.

 Many schools take corporal punishments for granted

 A teacher may slap a student with his or her hand or a ruler for some fault. The
more distant and simple the school is, the more this kind of punishment
occurs. My Chinese friend told me that they were given a certain amount
of time to learn English words at school, and for every unlearned word they
got beaten with a stick.

 Chinese children study for more than ten hours a day

 Lessons usually start at 8 a.m. and end at 3-4 p.m. Then kids go home and
do their neverending home tasks until 9-10 p.m. In big cities, schoolchildren
always have additional lessons with tutors, music classes, art studies, and
sports clubs on weekends. The competition is so high that parents suppress
their children from a very young age — if they don’t receive high grades
in their school graduation exams (mandatory education in China takes 12-
13 years), there’s no way they’ll be admitted to a university.

 The education system is based on verbatim learning

 Children just sit and learn lots of material by heart, while teachers demand
automatic reproduction without really caring about whether their students
actually understand what they say. However, there are more and more
alternative schools arising today, based on the Montessori or Waldorf
methods, that are aimed at developing the artistic abilities of kids. Of course,
 such schools are private, and studying there is expensive and accessible for
very few people.

 Children from poor families

 Children from poor families who don’t want to study or are too naughty
(as their parents think) often get kicked out of ordinary elementary schools
and into kung fu schools. They live there with full board, they train hard from
morning until night, and if they’re lucky enough, they receive a basic
education — they have to be able to read and write, which is not easy,
knowing the Chinese language system. Corporal punishments are quite
common at such institutions
 Teachers beat their students with a stick sword or just slap or kick them. When
the education is finished, though, parents see a disciplined young man
or woman with a right to teach kung fu and a fair chance of having a career.
Most well-known masters of kung fu went through this very school of life.
There’s also a widely spread custom to send weak and sickly children here for
a year or two to make them healthier while literally living kung fu or tai chi.

 Wherever Chinese kids may study, be it a kung fu school or an ordinary one, they
adopt three principal traits from early childhood: the skill of working hard, discipline,
and respect to those above them in age or position.
 They are taught from a young age that they should be the best at whatever
they do. Maybe that’s why the Chinese become leaders in science, culture, and art.
Competition with Europeans, who grow up in a much milder environment, is actually
no competition for them because we are not used to studying for ten hours a day, every
day, for many years.