Chinese Educational system

Chinese Education System after 1949

Education, one of the fundamental Chinese traditions entered to a new era of deep transformation with arouses of new P.R.C. As a vital tool of centralization and unification, it faces, however, several fundamental technical problems. The stake of the issue: It will not affects only the future development of young P.R.C, but also questions the legitimacy of communist dictatorship and its avocation as whole.

The creation of a new education system

Funding

In order to expand the school with the conception of schooling for all, from children of kindergarten to alienate peasants, teachers and wherewithal are needed.

Six years of primary school.
Three years of junior middle school, three years of senior middle school.
Six years of university.
Varieties of technical and vocation schools are invented.

What of the tradition to preserve? How to replace the former with a largely unknown ideal called communism?

New text book with a heavy soviet influence, which is not adaptable for Chinese.
Popularization of putonhua and introduction of simplified characters.

As a result of this tremendous effect, according to the P.R.C government’s source, in 1985 numbers of children in kindergarten rises to 30 million, primary schools rises to 86 million, and secondary school rises to 10 million.

"The Hundred Flowers Campaign" followed by "Great Leap forward movement"

The beginning of its decline

"Bourgeois scientific objectivism" an elitist education is attacked.

Intellectuals are sent away to the countryside and factories in order to accomplish and participate to the national primary objective: "the rise of production." In addition, it reduces intellectual’s arrogance and their cultural gap with lower educated people. Schools are closed few days a week and students are required to work in school factories.

Peasant and proletarians’ kids are given preferential admission to higher learning institution.

The academic standards declined markedly. As the result of failure of Great Leap Forward, the education system returns to its pre-1957 standard. Key schools are established.

Before 1968

Cultural Revolution "The nightmare." Was Mao a Machiavellian or a total Chinese Peasant?

The problems in Chinese education are diverse, from elitism to social alienation. At the same time in 1964, the first Chinese nuclear bomb is tested.

"The revolutionary successor generation must be prepared to assume its role in the march toward communism!" Yet, in the reality, the mass perceived that the children of party’s cadres and intellectuals are advantaged. As a matter of a fact, chauffeurs in "Red Flag" (limousine) drive kids of high official every day to key schools.
Centralization makes inappropriate policy with the local needs.

As the result of anarchy, cadres, teachers, intellectuals are attacked or reassigned to countryside to be reeducate. Mao, indeed used youth known as "The Red Guard" to eliminate political challengers who are the political official and the intellectual class. Now, teachers are now known as Stinking Ninth Category. Books are burned and school teaching is stooped, it was a time of a total social chaos. In Chinese history, it is always a signal of the madness of Emperor, when books are burned.

Late 1968, a transition from social uncertainty to stability. As soon as "The Red Guard" eliminated dangers for Mao, army entered to the scene.

Schools began to function again, but absurdly, no examination is needed. Politics is to be the central of teaching.

Six years of elementary School are compressed into five years. Junior and senior middle school changed to four years segment. University takes just three years.

Mao appeals for "The Down to the Countryside Movement."

Youth went to the inner China with a one way ticket. Some leftist cadres who remain in power send their kids to the army.

The positive effect of this movement is the elimination of elitism, which Mao was afraid of, and egalitarianism for all. Yet, China lost an entire generation, its economic development stooped and education system became absurd.

Post Culture Revolution era. The Open Door Policy

After the death of Mao, Deng Xiao Ping returned to power for the third time.

In order to accomplish the four modernizations, technicians are needed.

An examination given to would be college entrants in 1978. High school students who went to the countryside see it as the unique chance to return to city.
98 of China’s 715 high education institution received the designation of "Key Point."

"Key Point" schools are established in primary and secondary institution as well.

Technical schools that were closed during Culture Revolution were reopened.

Yet, elitism became once again an issue. In order to send kids to a good school, the back door or connection, another Chinese tradition reappears.

The overall problems are:

80 per cent of P.R.C school age population live in the countryside and sub urban. They are the direct victims of such elitism.
When the household became the unit of production, peasants found that their children are more utile to work in the field rather than to go to school.
The cost of tuition and textbooks increased rapidly.
The number of illiterates, consequtely increased during the early 80’s.

The drop out is a mirror of social dissatisfaction, inequality and inappropriate policy. But not only students, teachers, because their low wage are leaving school as well.

The cause: China lacks an efficient taxation system, the central government has a limited resource, hence, funding for the education is not as priority as economic investment.

Red, Golden and Black, a low moral sentiment

Becoming cadres as Red, businessmen as Golden, and go to a foreign country as a black way.
If business make more money, why go to school to learn?

With the Chinese Open Door policy, this old country entered into an ear of a rapid development. Yet, it is an unhealthy development. China doesn’t provide an appropriate social position toward its educated citizens. In addition, corruption spares all over the Chinese system. This is one of the fundamental causes of winter 1986 and spring 1989 students’ protestations. For its development, China needs a mass of educated technicians. However, the question is if the communist government wants to see such situation where an increasing middle class who has the ability to think is asking for more freedom of choice.

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