Education

Splashing the cash for the gaokao

By Wang Wei (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-03-15 07:58

Senior grade three students receive private tuition for the national university entrance examination at a private tuition center. [Photo/China Daily]

Students head to private teaching centers to improve their chances in the university entrance exam, Wang Wei reports.

Liu Yishu, 18, has not had a weekend off for seven months. Her life is crammed with endless classes and examinations in the run-up to the gaokao, or university entrance examination, which begins on June 7.

Every Saturday, the senior high-school student attends class at No 13 Middle School in Xicheng district. Most schools make Saturday a formal class day when students enter their final year. When Sunday comes, it is the time for her to study English, Physics and Chemistry at a private tuition center.

"Senior-year students in high school are not supposed to have any leisure time," she said. "But the diligence I put into my studies will eventually be paid back when I enter an elite university."

A total of 76,000 students from the capital registered to take this year's nationwide gaokao, a drop of 6 percent on last year. But the competition will still be very fierce. It is estimated that this year's university admission rate will be 48.5 percent, according to the Beijing Education Examination Authority.

The two-day highly competitive examination has boosted the development of a series of industries and the private tutoring market is one of the biggest beneficiaries.

On Sunday morning, inside a branch of Xueda Education in Jingshi Building Haidian district, there are more than 200 students; each of whom is studying at a 3-square-meter desk.

Song Meimei, director of the training center, told METRO the center had 260 senior high school students last week and the number increased to 300 this week. She is expecting more in a few weeks as the examination date draws closer.

One-to-one tutoring is now the most popular private tutoring. It normally begins with the tuition center setting up an interview to test a student's academic level, then the center will appoint a teacher to tailor a study plan for the student. The teacher is required to design objectives for each studying phase, which usually lasts for at least three months.

"During private tutoring sessions, students are more likely to concentrate than if they are in a big classroom full of students," said Song. "It offers personalized teaching methods that can easily identify any loopholes in a student's studying."

This type of personalized tutoring began to flourish in 2006, prior to that large classes dominated the training market. March is the busiest time for these private tuition centers as senior students are their main clients. The tuition centers charge on average 180 to 360 yuan per hour for tuition, and parents are willing to pay tens of thousands of yuan for the tuition.

Wang Yanping, the mother of Liu Peilin, spends 4,860 yuan a month for her daughter's private tutoring. Her daughter has been studying at Youwin Education for almost a year. She studies mathematics, Chinese and English every Sunday for two hours each.

"As long as she gets a higher score, I don't care if I have to spend even more money," Wang said.

However, some educators suggest parents should be cautious when it comes to private tuition centers.

"I don't suggest students take extra-curriculum courses if they study well at school. If they do have a hard time understanding their teachers, they should pick the tuition centers with experienced teachers," said Pan Xiaona, a teacher with Luhe Middle School in Tongzhou district.

"As the last preparation stage for the gaokao, a relaxed mood is vital for a good result," she said.