“School’s Out for Summer, School’s Out for…”

Abstract

Wrapping up the school semester offers Brunt an opportunity to reflect on the Chinese education system. Being aged 5, 7 and 8, the Brunt girls had some serious exams to sit: the bi-weekly tests of the previous five months were just a warm-up. In fact, the pressure just keeps rising through the school system until the dreaded “Gaokao” (school leaving exam). A striking aspect of Chinese education, however, is its narrow focus—mathematics, science, Chinese and English. It is definitely not designed to equip people for free thinking. If this were the price of doing better in international rankings, then it might not be a price that Western society would want to pay.