The pros and cons of school education mode

Editor's note: Hengshui High School in North China's Hebei province, known for its typical examination-oriented education system, recently opened a campus in East China's Zhejiang province, sparking a public debate on an "ideal" education mode. Three academics and a senior journalist share their views on the school's education model with China Daily's Wu Zheyu. Excerpts below:

Good for social mobility

Luo Yan, associate professor, Institute of Education, Tsinghua University

Compared with students from well-off families that can pay huge amounts of money for their education, children from ordinary families can only depend on the college entrance exam to receive higher education and thus well-paying jobs. That's why students from weaker economic backgrounds are prepared to endure hardships to acquire education.

That economically weak students are prepared to meet the challenges of a strict education system-which the "Hengshui model" promotes-shows they are more comfortable with the Chinese system of education, which helps students optimize their social value.

The hardships they endure in the process will stand them in good steed not only in colleges and universities, but also in their later life.

Not right to hype model

Xiong Bingqi, deputy dean of the 21st Century Education Research Institute

The debate should not focus on the conflict between exam-oriented and competence-oriented education systems, because the Hengshui model has proved a success because the students prepared by the school to take the college entrance exam are selected from among the best students from middle schools in Hebei.

Continuing to strengthen the advantages of "super schools" - instead of improving the condition of and education equality in ordinary schools in more counties - will not help raise the education standards of rural students.

So it's not right to project the Hengshui High School as a savior of students from rural areas and economically weak background and to help these kids. After all, the school banks on its students' success rate at the college entrance exam to earn more fame.

Do not demonize school

Chen Zhiwen, editor-in-chief of China Education Online

Education circles are agog with rumors about the Hengshui school using a tough regime to regulate students, adding to the public stereotype of the school. Some of the rumors are simply ludicrous the one about how the school has fitted its windows with iron grilles for example-to prevent students from jumping out of the buildings.

The people and media should stop speculating about the school. Rumors claiming Tsinghua University has blacklisted the Hengshui school have been countered by the university through an official statement, and Peking University admission officials have said students from the school have performed well on the campus.

Media and public comments should be based on facts. The Hengshui school should not take the flak for the problems created by China's exam-oriented education system. The school is a result, rather than a cause, of the education system.

People should not use the debate on the pros and cons of the school to vent their meaningless anger.

Trained to succeed in life

Yan Yajun, associate professor, College of Education, Zhejiang University

The Hengshui High School publicly says it employs the exam-oriented model while most schools in East China's Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces would avoid using such a label. The fact is, though the Hengshui school's students may get admission to premier universities, they will have to be properly trained to meet the challenges in later life, which the school also provides.

Students from less-resourceful families need competence-oriented education much more than those from well-off families, because the education offered by schools are generally the only choice for them to improve their social status.

No matter how clich��d it may sound, the school is aimed at preparing children for long-term success. By criticizing the Hengshui model, people are actually curtailing the chances of students from weaker economic backgrounds from getting a chance to access higher education and improve their social status.

(China Daily USA 04/17/2017 page12)