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Worse still, a more flexible enrollment system may encourage back-door deals. In fact, irregularities have already been rampant ever since China allows some students to get extra points in the national exams in such cases as they are minority ethnic people, they win top prize in crucial competitions, they are evaluated as city-level or provincial outstanding students, or they have talents in sports.
That's why He Chuanyang, a student who had the highest score in Chongqing on the liberal arts portion of national exams, lied about his ethnicity in order to get extra points on the exam. He's father, He Yeda, allegedly used his position as director of Wushan county admission office in Chongqing to register He as a member of the Tujia minority.
Another recent scandal was that dozens of middle school students in Shandong province hired some athletes to run Xiamen International Marathon for them earlier this year, also in a bid to get extra points.
If universities get more and more autonomy in enrollment, if more and more students enter top universities through ways other than unified exams, space for ordinary students will be squeezed and the newly-opened doors may turn to be short-cuts for students from families either with power, or with money.
Before all these issues can be settled, the national exams are still the fairest and best way to select qualified college students.
I took the national exams 24 years ago. I came from a small county, I am a han people, I don't have talents in specific areas. I just performed well in the exams so I was admitted by my ideal university. I think it is fair. Now, it will be my son's turn. We are ordinary people in Beijing, and I don't have enough money to get a back-door opportunity for him. So my dear son, come on, get ready for the exams. It will be the only opportunity for you.