Family background should never be a factor for enrollment

A PRIVATE PRIMARY SCHOOL in Shanghai has been criticized by the municipal education authorities for asking the parents of kids attending interviews to answer questionnaires and tests. Thepaper.cn comments:

The Shanghai Education Bureau has criticized the school and reduced its enrollment quota next year as a punishment.

But it is necessary for the authorities to halt this improper practice, which is not uncommon. It is mainly a characteristic of prestigious schools, which make their pupils' family backgrounds an important factor influencing their chances of being admitted.