Referring to the topic of this edition of my blog, the subject matter could go in one of two directions: our education in China or the education system in China, Let’s choose the China education system because many of my past articles have covered the essence of our education.
I have been fairly critical of the education system here as it really doesn’t preach free enterprise, reach for the stars, or be all you can be. Instead it focuses on being a good Chinese worker which means that you listen to the boss and do what you are told. Creativity and passion really do not play a role here.
I remember being invited to an open house at Tommy’s school (Kalamazoo College) where they were telling us how great the school is and what a fantastic educational opportunity they have. But I just couldn’t help but ask how they were going to stimulate creativity and passion in the students as this is what I believe sets the US apart from other countries we have lived in. Unfortunately the response was lack luster but I was impressed when the curriculum changed the following year to encourage the students to follow their passion. In the US people are willing to take on constructive criticism, not so here. A good example of a US company that really embraces this is 3M, they not only encourage their employees to be creative but they give them 1 day per week to do their own thing! This is surely something that is desperately lacking here.
So what does this have to do with the education system? Well if the government is in charge of the education system and owns the businesses, so I guess we have to expect that honoring your elders plays a big role in society. I find it very difficult to function in this environment because I am really never asked for my opinion and discouraged from disagreeing with the bosses. I have to stay focused on the technical input and let them run the organization.
So although outwardly the education system is quite similar to ours, it has a number of fundamental differences. The schooling starts at the Kindergarten level and seems similar to ours in that most of the focus is on social skills but they do start requiring real school work and it is not uncommon for them to have homework. The lower grades are similar to the US system except that they require them to learn English from the 1st grade. The difference comes when they reach 9th grade; here their system better resembles the German system in that they are required to take a major exam. This exam determines whether the student will follow the education system into high school or into a trade school, or whether their formal education will end. About 60% of the students will continue on into high school.
High school is only three years and its primary purpose is to get the students ready for college or to weed them out. At the end of the three years, they undergo another major testing program. From this test they will determine if they go onto to college or if they once again take the route to a trade school. Again about 60% of the students will be eligible to go on to college. And much like our system, the better grades you get the better school you can attend. The major difference is that the best schools are government run and there is fierce competition to get into them. It does matter what school you attend because all major companies will hire from only the top schools in their field. This is true for our company as we hire only from the top business and engineering schools. College is generally a four year program and although there are graduate schools most people enter the work force after undergraduate education. But it is not uncommon for the students to go back to university after about 6-10 years of work experience because they then know what they want to specialize in (sounds like a good idea to me). The cost of a year at a public university is less than $1000 so most students can afford to go if they qualify. Of course private universities are much more expensive. Once a graduate enters the work force the pay varies widely but if they have done well and work in Shanghai they can expect to receive between 8-12,000RMB per month ($1500- $1800). This may not seem a lot but their chances of advancement are great and this is in sharp contrast to the factory worker just outside of Shanghai who makes between 1000RMB-3000RMB per month ($170-$500).
So although the system is a mix between the German and the American systems, the focus of the educational process is quite different (surprising to me but not to most people). So the culture continues to reinforce the ideals that management is all powerful and all-knowing so this makes my job very difficult as I try to stimulate their creative sides (something that the management does not fully understand or appreciate).
Remember also that this system of education is a relatively new opportunity as education was nearly wiped out during the time of the Cultural Revolution, and the people remember this vividly and are very appreciative of the educational opportunities that they now have. Hence we really do not see people near my age in the major companies because they were not educated during the period of the Cultural Revolution and thus do not have the skills to compete with the younger generation.
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