INCE being reinstated in 1977, the Gaokao (National College Entrance Examination, China’s SAT) has, amid heated discussions, undergone constant reforms in aspects that include content, form and admission procedures. As the Gaokao has such huge influence on the futures of so many, its each and every proposed change polarizes national attention

Life-changer

The Gaokaowas suspended from 1966 to 1977 due to internal turmoil, and a different policy of selecting workers, farmers and soldiers for higher education came into force. During this period, students were considered according to their political and family backgrounds rather than academic performances, and courses were shortened from four years to two to three years. Undergraduates of this decade were known as “worker-peasant-soldier students.”

This policy was abolished in October 1977, and the conventional examination based on academic aptitude was resumed. In the winter of 1977, 5.7 million candidates sat the exam, 273,000 of whom entered colleges. The following summer a staggering 6.1 million candidates took the exam and enrollment expanded to 402,000.

Wang Baomin, a manager at the Yongmei Company of Henan Coal Chemical Group, sat the first reinstated 1977 Gaokaoexam. As he recalled, “I was 21 and had been working as an ‘educated youth’. If not for the Gaokao I would have spent the rest of my life in rural areas.”

The “educated youth” movement refers to a particular period. During the decade the Gaokaowas suspended many urban students were unable either to enter college or find employment. As a result, 12-18 million urban youth were sent to live and work in rural areas, thus becoming the so-called “educated youth.” The movement ended in 1980, but young people hoping to return to and find work in their native urban homes still faced considerable constraints.

The Gaokao represented the sole way out of their plight. “The Gaokaoassesses examinees according to academic performance rather than family background, so constituting a relatively equitable approach,” Wang Baomin said.

Constant Reform

The reinstatement of the Gaokaoin 1977 offered a spark of hope to Chinese youth, and has been constantly monitored and improved since.

Enrollment policy reforms. Upon reinstating the Gaokao the government took responsibility for drafting enrollment plans, recruiting students and allocating jobs after graduation, all of which was carried out in a uniform manner. Jobs assigned at this time constituted the so-called “iron rice bowl” of lifetime employment, stable income and benefits.

In 1983, the Ministry of Education proposed the“directional program,” wherein certain students received preferential treatment with regards to admission but were assigned work in tough working conditions such as farms or oilfields upon graduation. In 1985, a small number of students in addition to those included in the state plan were allowed to be enrolled, on the understanding they took responsibility for their own college expenses and found work independently. Uniform enrollment and assignment was thus transformed into a dual system of both free and fee-paying education.

In 1994, experiments were carried out in 37 key universities whereby students paid a portion of their college expenses and the majority of graduates found their own jobs. In 1997, this practice was expanded to include all higher education institutions, and tuition fees were substantially raised. In 2000, tuition became payable by the last hitherto unaffected group - students majoring in teaching. The dual system thus came to an end.

Reforms to exam form and content. The general focus of present reforms is on students’ comprehensive competence rather than their examination performance. The Gaokao now includes standardized tests, introduced from the U.S., which make the exams more objective. Content is also becoming more inclusive, allowing colleges more autonomy and students more room to develop their potential.

Individuality is encouraged, full play given to obvious talents, and each student has the chance to fulfill their potential. In other words, the Gaokao is becoming more open, inclusive, customized and diversified.