Revealing surveys

Two years ago, Shanghai Normal University conducted a survey on reading habits of 522 form masters in 22 primary schools in Shanghai, and found that those surveyed read annually an average of less than seven books not directly pertinent to their course of instruction (Wenhui Daily, February 21).

A similar survey in Beijing in 2007 of more than 1,000 primary and middle school teachers in Beijing found that half of the surveyed spent less than 30 minutes on reading books on an average day.

Nobel Laureate in Literature Mo Yan once wrote that his middle school daughter often came to him for some questions in the Chinese textbook, and Mo found he had to be vague in his answers, cautioning his daughter she should take the teachers' answers as authoritative.

The daughter of Ye Kai, an senior editor of the Harvest magazine, once one of the best literary magazines in China, is a voracious reader, but her composition scores are unsatisfactory.

How can a teacher who does not read or write assess other's writings competently? Ye wondered.

But this system has developed momentum that is hard to resist.

Failed experiment

Qian Liqun, a prestigious professor from Beijing University, unsatisfied with the current system, upon his retirement in 2002 decided to experiment with Chinese language learning that "goes to the heart," by teaching middle schools in his own style.

His lectures were first well received, but gradually they languished unattended.

One student wrote to him explaining that "it's not that we dislike your instruction, but that what you taught has nothing to do with the college entrance examination. Given our limited time, I would rather attend your class after being admitted to Beijing University."

But Qian believed that soon nothing not related to employment would have any chance of being allowed at Chinese universities.

After suffering repeated setbacks, Qian gave up the experiment last year. It pained him to find that the test-oriented education system has been so entrenched that it has become "the sum and total of our education."

"Not only educators use tests in assessment, it has also made students and parents highly self-disciplined in this regard," Qian said. He deplored that "test-oriented education has become so overwhelming, that whatever kind of non-test-oriented education has no hope of gaining a foothold there."