Let talent decide entry into school

Some parents are reportedly willing to pay tens of thousands of yuan to get their children admitted to "prestigious" schools so that they can extend their social networks to higher levels. The relationship among young students has long been considered the purest. But the ulterior motive of some parents to establish socially higher networks is threatening to spoil this relationship, says an article in China Youth Daily. Excerpts:

Social networking has played a significant role in Chinese society, giving some people access to resources and privileges they would otherwise have been denied.

But a healthy society should not be influenced or controlled by social networks. The bigger the network the greater harm it will cause to social justice and the more detrimental it would be to social harmony and stability.

It is absolutely necessary to teach children to be disciplined and to abide by rules. They should be taught the virtues of justice, too.

Talent and intelligence, rather than money and connections, should be the criteria for admission to schools, prestigious or not. This is important because once rich people's children realize that their parents can get them whatever they want, they will start violating rules and regulations. They can also develop the habit of pulling strings to save themselves whenever they break these rules and regulations.

Parents should realize that the utilitarian seeds they sow in their children's minds today will harm them both in the end.

Tobacco museum a bad influence

Reports say the Tobacco Museum of China set up in Shanghai has become a "patriotic education base". However, many people have disputed the contention, saying the museum can be a subtle but effective advertisement for tobacco consumption, says an article in Legal Daily. Excerpts:

The development outlook of the tobacco industry does not look very optimistic. And although the industry still contributes considerable revenue to the State exchequer, the severe health damage that smoking causes is well known.

Many people are asking how could a tobacco museum show only the achievements of the tobacco industry. Huge incomes and stories about great men and celebrities addicted to smoking do not tell much about the harm it causes. So how can the museum be a "patriotic education base" ?

The museum can be a bad influence on young minds. There is no harm in building a museum showing the development of the tobacco industry or tobacco culture. But such a museum should have nothing to do with children's education or propaganda.

Moreover, education should be the preserve of schools, colleges and universities and never be extended to places like tobacco museums, which, according to some experts, can poison youngsters' mind with false information.

Public awareness has played an important role in curbing smoking in the country. Now it has prompted people to question the use of a tobacco museum for charity and patriotic education.

That's why public reaction is much more important for curbing smoking than official actions like the China Tobacco Control Association's request to the Shanghai municipal government to withdraw the museum's "patriotic education base" tag.