From the Readers

China’s test system is fine

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-06-30 13:54

Comment on "Top gaokao scorers fail to live up to expectations" (Chinadaily.com.cn June 28)

The Chinese test is excellent at testing for aptitude and intelligence. If the students do poorly, then they must be blamed, not the Chinese test. Your suggestion to "dump the exam" is an ill-conceived one. This test is good at predicting leaders, and in this round of testing, those numbers are few.

I have taught many of those people who go overseas to study, and generally they have a much lower aptitude than the students who stay here. What I have been told by these students is that they are sent overseas so their families can save face over their kids' poor performances on the gaokao tests. But in reality, in the classroom, they are mediocre at best. I have been in at least four programs of this style here, and in every school, this has been my experience. The students who go overseas, with the obvious exception of those who go to Harvard, etc., are generally bad students who see going abroad as the only opportunity to save face and hopefully obtain a decent job. They lack discipline and the ability of those who actually study in China. The thing they do have, however, is money to buy a visa.

The test that China administers is excellent. And this excellent test is showing that the one-child kids are slipping. Again, I reiterate, when you do poorly on a test, do not blame the test, but the student.

China actually has one of the best systems to weed out the weak and those who don't deserve to go on to the better schools. I commend China on their testing system!

"Go china", on China Daily website.