Society

Content with schools falling

By Zhou Wenting (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-03-03 08:15

BEIJING - Satisfaction with public education in China's major cities decreased by 3 percent in 2010, largely because people's expectations for educational reform have outpaced the actual improvements made to educational services, according to a blue book report released on Tuesday.

According to the 2011 Blue Book of China's Education, an annual report on China's educational development that was released by the 21st Century Education Development Research Academy and Social Sciences Academic Press of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, those living in large cities said they ranged from "relatively satisfied" to "not so satisfied" when asked their opinions about local public education.

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The survey, which was conducted in 35 cities and asked questions relating to the quality of education, educational methods, education equity and education fees, showed that schools in Xiamen, a city in Fujian province; Qingdao, in Shandong province; and Xining, the capital of Qinghai province, elicited the highest ratings for satisfaction.

As to why so many people are disgruntled about the current state of public education, inequity was cited as one of the chief reasons.

More than 80 percent of the respondents said that disparities are obvious between key primary and junior high schools - which must meet high government standards - and their non-key counterparts.

Other problems cited in the survey were the current short supply of kindergartens and the high cost of putting children into such schools.

The blue book also revealed regional inequities in education.

Large classes, which are rarely seen in eastern provinces, are still ubiquitous in inland areas.

A primary school in Shaanxi province has an average of 90 students in each class, while the number for a middle school in Henan province is 120 students for each class.

Zhou Xiaozheng, a sociologist at Renmin University of China, said it is true that educational reforms are moving forward faster in some regions than others.

"The government must carry out the reform of the educational system actively and steadily so that the local level of education services can catch up with the expectations and requirements of the public," Zhou said.

In addition to education inequity, parents also blamed current educational methods for blocking attempts to ensure students are well-rounded when they graduate.

The survey results showed that students now go to great lengths to take extracurricular training.

Zheng Yulin, a 40-year-old Shanghai resident who has a daughter in the third year of primary school, said the girl's weekends are fully occupied by various kinds of extra classes.

"Increasing the difficulty of exams will aggravate the problem," Zheng said. "When exams become harder, children will be expected to take even more extra lessons, which will leave them no time to develop in other ways."