China Daily - July 21

Educational Equity

Students from underdeveloped regions must receive equal access to the best educational facilities - a burning issue that the current educational reform roadmap has to address to help usher in common prosperity for all.

Rural students form just 1 percent of the pupils enrolled at Peking University, as opposed to around 70 percent in the '50s and the '60s, a professor at the prestigious university was recently quoted as saying. If proved correct, the assertion only goes to show that the system of enrolment has become so skewed as to tilt the balance in favor of urban students.

The root cause of the problem lies in the unbalanced distribution of educational resources. Remote and under-developed areas often suffer from a paucity of good, trained teachers.

Less-developed regions have a long way to go before they can catch up with developed areas in terms of educational quality.

Moreover, an increasing number of high-school graduates are refraining from writing the national college entrance exams that will guarantee them a place at top-notch universities across the nation due to dim job prospects even after graduation.

The situation may develop into a vicious cycle if left unattended: If villagers receive education of dubious quality, the chances are that they will remain poor, and consequently struggle to change their fate.

Apart from bettering educational quality, people from the hinterland must get a decent shot at upward social mobility. This will ensure that competent and talented students receive positions in keeping with their achievements.

Source : http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2010-07/20/content_11022208.htm