Much similar to our counterparts, students in China are studying, playing sports, doing various activities, and hanging out with friends. Although the things we do are similar as high schoolers, there is one stark difference between Eastern and Western life, that being the educational structure between the two countries.
As China moves to shift their economic standpoint, expanding their environmental policy, their education system has stayed relatively the same. For example, some of the most important policies related to Chinese education have been passed decades ago.
According to the China Outlook, “In 1985, the Party’s Central Committee issued “The Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Reform of the Educational Structure,” which sought to link education to economic reform, reduced rigid government control over schools, and allowed private organizations and individuals to establish and run schools.
“In 1993 the Ministry of Education issued “The Programme for Education Reform and Development in China” to quicken the pace of educational restructuring and attract private funding to support educational development. In the years that followed, “industrialization of education” (教育产业化: Jiàoyù chǎnyè huà) took place, forcing schools to offer after-school classes and charge parents high fees.”
These policies allowed for new institutions to grow and expand but already existing schools and institutions found it difficult to pivot what they were doing.
Although directly comparing the US educational system and China’s system is unfair, both having different testing standards, goals, teaching methods, and dozens of other variables, it’s fair to say that students in both worlds experience some degrees of stress.
On average, though, students in China feel a higher degree of stress on a more frequent basis.
This isn’t only because of the high social standards that are placed on them, but also because a single test makes an enormous difference on the future of students in China (Gāokǎo). The Gāokǎo is a test that some journalists/organizations, but few politicians, are pushing to change. When the government takes change into account, they look at the results, and the results don’t lie. China has the fastest growing economy in the world.
Although students do come out of school with a very study-heavy background, they are often lacking in other skills. According to the China Outlook, “Research confirms the debilitating effects of academic stress on Chinese students….researchers found that 81% of the children worried “a lot” about exams, 63% were afraid of punishment by teachers, and 73% were physically punished for lax academic effort by their parents.”
This stress leads to worse performance on tests, anxiety, a poorer social life, and a lack of care for mental health. Similar effects can be seen on American students, but testing is much more lenient in comparison with China’s testing.
Although this may seem like a daunting future, both schools and students are finding ways to destress. Among these ways include hanging out with friends, playing video games, playing on sport teams, and a multitude of other activities.
It’s great to see different organizations such as the Adream Foundation, speaking out in support of changing China’s educational system, especially in the past 2-3 years. Although we haven’t seen any major change, the next few years will determine the future of China’s educational system.
Sources:
This article shows very clear that how different the US educational system and China’s system but every student will have stress. But there is always a way to destress. that is how we say in china 劳逸结合。
The Gaokao seems extremely demanding, no wonder students in China feel a higher degree of stress on a more frequent basis than students in the US. The fact that so much of your future depends on just one test is absurd.
Nice article, Josh. Schools in China have many differences to schools in the United States. For example, lunch breaks and the overall timing structure of the day differ greatly. I agree that a core similarity is that stress levels in students are high. It’s interesting that students in China experience more stress on average due to social pressures and the Gaokao. The Gaokao is a large part of students’ lives in China, and their future relies partly on this one test.
In my opinion, the mental health of students in China is overlooked by officials to a fault. Although student stress definitely exists in the United States, it is in stark contrast to the exceedingly high levels of stress in China. One single test should not decide a student’s entire future, and I believe that China’s educational system is actually harming the students more than helping. Instead of producing well-rounded students that are knowledgeable yet lead enjoyable, social lives, Chinese schools produce students that are exceptionally smart in academics, but suffer from anxiety and poor social life. It would be better for all involved to find a balance between these two things.