Education Problems in China - Literature review Example

Running header: Education Problems in China Student’s name: Name of institution: Instructor’s name: Course code: Date of submission: Education Problems in China Introduction In the People’s Republic of China, Education is run by the state. The government department that is responsible for running all educational affairs in the country is the Ministry of Education (Ma & Kelly, 2009). All the citizens in China are required to attend school not less than nine years. Education in China is divided into primary education, secondary education, and higher education. Preschools and primary schools fall under primary education, whereas secondary education is divided into junior secondary, senior secondary and vocational and technical schools (Hannum & Park, 2007). Higher education in China comprises of all undergraduates and postgraduates at the universities in the country. According to Jianzhong (2004), the development of education in China has been aimed towards economic modernization since the end of the cultural revolution of 1966 to 1976. Mingyuan (2000) points out that the educational system has undergone several changes and restructuring over the years, beginning in 1985 when the education reform plan was unveiled through the “Decision of Reform of the Educational Structure” by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. Education in China has been flooded with controversy since 1949. Another scholar, Jialing (2004), supports these claims by noting that this has been evident through the alternation of policies in education to try and come up with the best options and solutions. For the country to try and seek solutions and options, problems definitely existed. This essay is going to critically discuss the educational problems being faced by China. This essay will also discuss what is being done to solve these educational problems in China. The essay will be supported by properly cited scholarly works that discuss the educational problems in China as well as the solutions to these problems. As seen in the introduction, education in China is divided into primary education, secondary education and higher education. All these levels of education face their unique challenges but there are challenges that are common to all the three levels (Yang, Xiaoyi, Rong, Yang & Yaofang, 2009). It has been seen that in China, basic education is compulsory and necessary to all people (Chunli, 2006). Hayhoe (1989) argues that the government of China pays very keen attention to all educational issues because of the realization that it can improve the literate capacity of the people, thus leading to development. According to observations and comparisons made by James (2006), China’s education system is considered the largest education system in the entire world. In the higher education sector alone, there are over 20 million students who are enrolled in the higher education institutions. The investments made in the education sector alone account for more than 4% of the total GDP of the country (Mingyuan, 2000). Xiao (2007) notes that in 1986, a law was passed by the Chinese government that made education in China compulsory for nine years for all Chinese children aged between 6 and 15 years. This has since been successful despite the major challenges that it comes with. In fact, in 2005, this mandatory nine-year basic education law was 95% successful (Yang, Xiaoyi, Rong, Yang & Yaofang, 2009). Today, more than 99.7% of the entire population of China is estimated to have achieved the compulsory universal nine-year basic education. China is also among the most renowned countries in the world to offer higher education opportunities to international students (Hannum & Park, 2007). In general, with such a complex education system, problems are bound to be there. The following paragraph will discuss some of the major educational problems that face China. One of the greatest educational problems facing the People’s Republic of China is the strain experienced by the system due to the nine year compulsory education law. This law has brought about its fair share of challenges such as the problem of less highly skilled teachers. This is especially so in primary and secondary education (Yang, Xiaoyi, Rong, Yang & Yaofang, 2009). It is argued that the nine year compulsory education rule has put a strain on the quality of education being offered in primary and secondary schools across China. This strain has been brought about by the fact that the number of children attending schools has significantly increased due to this rule (Chunli, 2006). The enrolment rates have gone up significantly over the years. For example, statistics from the Ministry of Education indicate that the enrolment at senior high school in 2004 stood at 8.215 million (Hannum & Park, 2007). This was 2.3 times more than the number enrolled in 1988. The education departments across the country have the responsibility of training millions of skilled workers so as to prepare them for all professions and trades. This training entailed the distribution of funds to the counties, administration as well as supervision of education and teaching (Ma & Kelly, 2009). While all this was taking place, the government has not been able to realize tuition free primary education. So, despite the compulsory laws that everyone is required to attend school for nine years, many students still drop out of school because not all of them can afford to pay the school fees for the entire nine years. According to Mingyuan (2000), the government of China has tried to deal with this issue of the strain brought about by the nine year compulsory education rule through opening of more schools to cater for the unique educational needs of the people. These challenges have also seen the Central Government prioritizing basic education as a major sector of educational development and infrastructure construction. Another educational problem facing China is the high number of students who need to be educated. Statistics indicate that currently, the country has more than 200 million students in elementary and high school alone. China is also the world’s most populous country, with an estimated population of over 1.4 billion people (Yang, Xiaoyi, Rong, Yang & Yaofang, 2009). This means that the number of people who need to be educated is very high. The educational system in the country, through the Ministry of Education, has to ensure that the educational needs of this great population are met. According to Mingyuan (2000), these challenges are being addressed through the creation of a special fund by the government to improve education, especially elementary and high school. These funds are used for new construction of new buildings as well as the expansion and rebuilding of buildings and structures that have been run-down (Ma & Kelly, 2009). The problem of less highly skilled teachers is facing the country’s education system because it is aimed at training millions of skilled workers so as to prepare them for all professions and trades (Jianzhong, 2004). The country does not have enough well trained teachers to adequately fulfill this role. James (2006) argues that the government is continuously trying to solve this problem by focusing on increasing per capita educational expenditure for high school and elementary student so that the quality of education does not entirely depend on the availability of teachers. According to Mingyuan (2000), this has seen the exponential growth of teaching and research equipment and educational documents and books being renewed and updated on an annual basis (Ma & Kelly, 2009). The country also addresses the issue of less highly skilled teachers by having a consistent teacher development system. This is achieved through the prestige and respect accorded to the teaching profession in China. Unlike in many other countries, teaching in China is taken to be a highly respectable profession (Yang, Xiaoyi, Rong, Yang & Yaofang, 2009). Teachers are currently very well prepared in their subject areas by ensuring that prospective teachers spend most of their time observing the classrooms of other experienced teachers so as to gain first had experience in teaching strategies. This is often done in schools that are associated or attached to the universities that the teachers attend (Jianzhong, 2004). The government is also trying to deal with this problem by ensuring that once the teachers get formal employment in schools, they undergo a system of induction and continuous professional development. This is achieved by having groups of teachers work together with other master teachers to deliberate on how education may be improved (Hannum & Park, 2007). Another problem that is common with the education system in China is the expensive tuition fees. According to Professor Sun Guangwen of Shadong University, the tuition fee in the Chinese education system is extremely high. A good example is the fee charged to undergraduate students who have to pay between 6,000 and 7,000 Yuan, an equivalent of about US $ 800 every year for tuition alone. This amount is known to vary from institution to institution and department to department. For example, science majors are known to have even higher tuition fees that their arts counterparts (Jianzhong, 2004). In addition to the high tuition fees, the students also have to cater for their own meals and buy their own books (Ma & Kelly, 2009). This makes the overall amount that families have to spend on education alone to be very high. Some families, particularly those in the countryside, find it very difficult to cover the expenses for their university students. In fact, the annual amount of money spent on a university student’s fees is equated to the total gross income of a farmer over several years (Jianzhong, 2004). The government has been trying to deal with this problem through the education fund but it has not been enough because it has only been catering for 53% of the total education expenses. The other 47% that is remaining is being accounted for by ensuring that the students are paying for their tuition among other charges. This problem has been attributed to the concept of ‘educational commercialization’ which has seen many educational institutions being inspired by the money they rake in (Hannum & Park, 2007). China’s education is also blamed for having a lot of inequity. Education in China is said to worsen general social inequity that already exists in the country (Chunli, 2006). This is a problem because if the inherited social inequity worsens, the rich would monopolize their position in society while the poor will continue to pass down their conditions to their future generations. This is a threat to the future society which is at a high risk of disintegrating (Ma & Kelly, 2009). This means that only the children of the rich will be able to access education, leaving out the children of the low income classes such as urban farm workers and farmers. Access to equal opportunities in education has been identified as one of the ways through which poor people can be part of the mainstream society (Hannum & Park, 2007). There have been several attempts by the government to solve this problem by subsidizing the fees in schools but the problem has continued to persist, especially as a result of the classes that have already been created in society (Jianzhong, 2004). In China, the local government is responsible for partially providing education funding. This means that the physical location of a place has been an injustice to it. For example, Shanghai used to receive an educational funding that was more than ten times higher than what was received by Henan Province. Currently, things are even worse because the difference has now reached over 50 times (Yang, Xiaoyi, Rong, Yang & Yaofang, 2009). Not much is being done to solve this problem because the difference in funding due to the physical location of a place has continued to increase over the years. The amount of money that a local government can devote to the education of its region has always differed from one place to the next (Hannum & Park, 2007). Conclusion In summary, China has one of the world’s largest education systems in terms of funding and the number of students being enrolled at various educational levels. This essay has discussed the issue and problems being faced by the education sector in China. Some of the major problems identified include the high tuition fees, the inequity in education, the disadvantages due to physical location, the high number of students that need education and the strain brought about by the nine year compulsory education laws. The solutions to all these educational problems have also been discussed so as to give a perspective of what is being done and what more can be done to reduce the problems facing the education sector in China. The essay has revealed that most of the problems are far from over an a lot more needs to be done in regards to solving them. References Chunli, X. (2006). Migrant children and the right to compulsory education in China. Asia-Pacific Journal on Human Rights and the Law, 7(2), 29-74. Hannum, E., & Park, A. (2007). Education and Reform in China. New York: Routledge. Hayhoe, R. (1989). China’s universities and Western academic models. Higher Education, 18, 49-85. James, J. W. (2006). Social Justice in Chinese Higher Education: Regional Issues of Equity and Access. International Review of Education, 52, 149-169. Jialing, H. (2004). Survey report on the state of compulsory education among migrant children in Beijing. Chinese Education and Society, 37(5), 29-55. Jianzhong, D. (2004). Overhauling and regulating schools set up by migrants. Chinese Education and Society, 37(5), 10-28. Ma, Q., & Kelly, P. (2009). Overcoming Hurdles to Chinese Students' Learning of English Lexis. Routledge. Mingyuan, G. (2000). What is facing Chinese Higher Education in the new century: Current Issues in Chinese Higher Education. Education and Skills, OECD. Mingyuan, G. (2004). Influence of Soviet Union's educational theory on Chinese education. Journal of Beijing Normal University (Social Sciences), 181(1), 5-13. Xiao, J. (2007). China’s Educational Reform in Transition: Is it Transforming. Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong. Yang, L., Xiaoyi, F., Rong, C., Yang, W., & Yaofang, Z. (2009). The urban adaptation and adaptation process of urban migrant children: A qualitative study. Frontiers of Education in China, 4(3), 365-389. Read More