Education is required and free for Chinese citizens age 6 to 15 though parents must pay small fees for books and uniforms. Chinese children all get a primary and middle school public education. Each classes averages 35 students. After middle school, parents must pay for public high school though the majority of families in cities can afford the modest fees. In rural parts of China, many students stop their education at age 15.
There are a growing number of private schools in China for wealthy Chinese as well as dozens of international private schools. Most international schools will only accept Chinese who hold a foreign passport, but Chinese public schools are required by law to accept children of legal foreign residents. There are over 70 schools approved by China’s Ministry of Education to provide foreign instruction. Unlike local children, foreigners must pay a yearly tuition which varies but starts at about 28,000RMB.
In high school, Chinese students begin preparing for the competitive National University Entrance Examinations. Seniors take this Chinese version of the SAT in the summer. The results determine which Chinese university test-takers will attend the following year.
by Carlos Gomez
No comments:
Post a Comment