School education in China. Education in China

Education is different. There is no end in sight to the long-running dispute in Russia between Russian teachers and the Ministry of Education about the usefulness of ongoing educational reforms in our schools. It turns out that we are not the only ones. The Chinese are also not entirely satisfied with their secondary education system. Therefore, the intended tendency to send children to study “over the hill”, as in Russia, is very popular. Chinese schoolchildren constantly complain about the terrible amount of homework, a lot of 压力 (stress), lack of free time, they want to avoid the gaokao (高考, final exam, analogous to our Unified State Exam) and continue their education in high schools in “overseas” schools. After asking Chinese schoolchildren, as well as teachers, I got a complete picture of the system in which children are educated in Beijing and other cities, as well as what trend Chinese education is currently moving in and how much effort children spend to get the coveted certificate.

So, I won’t start right away with the worst. Let me start with the fact that Chinese school is divided into three levels - primary (小学，6 years), middle (初中, 6 years) and senior (高中, 3 years). The “first time in first grade” occurs at the age of 6–7 years. The state pays only for the first nine years of education; for the last three years, parents pay from their own wallets, although some lucky students can count on a subsidy or scholarship.

As one Chinese acquaintance told me, the whole life of a Chinese is an eternal passing of exams, and they begin precisely at school. One of the most serious tests falls on the head of an unsuspecting student primary school upon completion of sixth grade. And then it begins... the search begins for ways to get into high school, and always a good one or the best one! It’s not for nothing that for six years in elementary school they listened to the teacher and unquestioningly carried out his assignments!

It should be clarified that Chinese elementary, middle and high schools are not one school, as in Russia. They are wearing different names and are different educational institutions. Although some schools include all three levels.

So, the race of parents (first of all) begins precisely at the end of primary school. They are “on duty” at the doors of the secondary school they want for their child, “catch” students who have already entered it, and “interrogate” them on the subject of “how he got into it” and “the content of the admission exam.” Entrance exam. They explained to me that he was secret. This is one of the ways to enter school. Secret because it is impossible to prepare for it in advance, because the content is unknown. An exam can take different forms - it can be in the form of a test, or it can be in the form of an interview. If it is in the form of a test, then it is usually mathematics, the tasks are given at a level higher than what was studied before, so money for a tutor must be prepared in advance.

The next path to the desired school is the so-called 推优, or recommendation for admission. Recommend by teachers, choose a computer. O great lottery drum of good luck! Only one in ten applicants can be admitted to the school in this way. There are also loopholes, but this is for those who do not skimp - after all, the future of children, how can you trust a soulless machine! So, next are the parents’ connections. Everything is clear here. Another way to get into the coveted school is automatic enrollment due to being close to home, 直升. To be enrolled, you must have an apartment near the school and have lived in it for more than three years. Parents participating in the “race” buy apartments near a prestigious school long before the child is born, caring about his future. This apartment is called 学区房. Well, the very last way to continue education - and every primary school graduate is obliged to continue his education in high school- 派位, that is, placing a student in any school where there is a place, usually far from the best according to the “Oh almighty computer, decide my fate” system. Strange but true.

So, we found a way to enter good school, but this does not mean at all that you can relax and not think about anything (until university). Middle and then high schools involve almost round-the-clock studying, a lot of homework and a minimum of free time, since in addition to homework and lessons, children attend clubs based on the interests of *parents*, for example, they learn English with foreign teachers, or dance engage in sports or something else designed to make the child a highly organized, competitive personality, since we're talking about about China - a country where the strongest survive due to large quantity the people living in it. Parents understand this.

The schedule in an ordinary ordinary school is “Spartan” in nature - at least 8-9 lessons per day: five lessons in the first half of the day, four lessons in the second. Every day at the last lesson there is a test a.k.a. test. I am writing this about the last year of high school, where children are prepared for the high school exam. The big drawback of such tests, according to one of the students I interviewed, is that by actually performing tests “automatically,” the student uses logic, rather than actually acquired knowledge. "Cramming" clean water. There is almost no healthy interest in learning here. However, students maintain their enthusiasm for learning, fueled by teachers, and are optimistic about everything. According to one student (Shang Di Experimental Middle School, Part of 101 School, Beijing), friendship between classmates grows stronger as exams and homework increase. “Together we fight in exams!” can be considered the motto of high school students, because it is here that the strongest friendships are born, which do not weaken even after graduation.

Classes at school start around 8 am, in different schools: somewhere at 7:30, somewhere at 8:30. Each lesson lasts 40 minutes, there is a break between lessons, and after the second lesson there is a long break for physical education. Physical education lessons are held every day. And this is quite understandable, because with large mental load Sports activities are simply necessary. However, not all schools have such a policy; some schools do not include sports in the school system. After physical education lessons, already pretty hungry children run to the dining room to spend 5-10 minutes “gobbling up” lunch, and then quickly go to class. This is followed by the “midday nap,” where students, folding their arms and lying “comfortably” on their desks, must pretend to be asleep. This “sleep” lasts an hour to 1:20. They “fall asleep” when the bell rings and “wake up” when they ring. Regarding appearance, quite strict rules have also been introduced, which everyone adheres to: short hair or tied in a ponytail and a uniform school uniform for all students, usually a tracksuit. Each school has different uniform colors.

Every morning, someone responsible for getting up is assigned. national flag, as an act of patriotism, which is very commendable. And schoolchildren also write essays on the now popular topic “中国梦” (“Chinese dream”, analogue of “ American dream", Chinese version). Weekends are spent doing homework. Vacations in summer and winter. Summer - from mid or early July to the end of August, and winter - from mid-January to mid-February. And every holiday, schoolchildren “swim” in a sea of ​​homework. Some schoolchildren caring parents they manage to send them abroad to study for two weeks - to improve their English, or they spend time traveling around China, which is also good, but not for long - you still need to come back and have time to do your homework!

Things are a little different in high school. For example, at the Haidian Foreign Languages ​​School (Hai Dian Foreign Languages ​​School, Beijing). To get into high school, you also need to pass an examination test, but it is more democratic and open compared to entering high school. There is no secret about the exam, which to a certain extent reduces stress for both students and parents. This school is considered one of the fashionable ones because it is divided into two departments - the Gaokao department and the foreign department. In general, due to the continuing interest of the Chinese in foreign languages, there are more and more international departments in schools. Back in 2010, only 10 schools had such a division. A little more about the differences. In the gaokao department, schoolchildren study according to a well-known regime, that is, they are preparing for the most important exam in 12-year school education, which opens the way to universities and the door to the future. Gaokao is taken in all subjects at the end of the twelfth (and in some schools the eleventh) grade. And everyone is afraid of him - parents, students and even teachers. The points for each item vary depending on its importance. For example, this year the passing score for the Chinese language exam is 180, last year it was only 150. But in English, on the contrary, it was reduced from 150 to 120. This is not much of a consolation, however. You will still have to take exams. And schoolchildren studying in this department “cram” and prepare for tests. By the way, starting from high school, students are divided into “humanities” (文科) and “technical” (理科), with a corresponding set of subjects.

The situation is completely different in the foreign department. Students are not prepared for the gaokao. It is expected that children will finish 11th grade in an American school and then enter one of the universities in America; it is now so fashionable in China to avoid the “hassle” of “mind-numbing” tests and go get a “real” education abroad. Perhaps this is correct, if parental resources allow it. Your neighbor's grass is always greener. Schoolchildren avoid the gaokao, but TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test a.k.a. Academic Assessment Test) will not escape them. This is necessary for an internship at an American school. “Life constantly arranges exams, distracting from the process of improving it”... Most subjects are taught in English by foreign teachers. First of all, it is studied English language, studying is underway - preparing for TOEFL, new words and expressions are being crammed. Some subjects are taught in Chinese - mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry - for the sake of the next exam from the city department of education, called 会考, or Certification of High School, which is taken by everyone, regardless of the department in which the student is studying. There is something pleasant about studying in the foreign department - the tasks given by foreign teachers are much more creative and interesting: students work in groups, create and defend projects, spend time searching for information for a report, etc. And there are fewer students in the class - not 40, as in secondary school, but only 25 - 27, as in a regular Western school. The school is the same, but the approach is different.

Now you need to write a little about how students live in the school boarding school. Many schools have student dormitories. In some schools, children live in a boarding school due to the distance of the school from home, and in some schools this is included in one of the rules. In different boarding schools different quantities students per room - from 6 to 8, and maybe even more. At the Haidien District Foreign Language School, Beijing, a room of 6 people has a shower and a toilet. In some boarding schools there is a shower and toilet on the floor. They get up at the bell at 6:30, return to the room around 10 pm, after three to four hours of self-preparation and repetition in class at the end of lessons. Three meals a day in the school canteen are also included. It is prohibited to bring electronic devices into the boarding school, that is, all iPhones, iPads and computers wait for their owners at home, where the latter spend their weekends - students return home on Friday evening, and on Sunday evening back to the dormitory. Oh, yes, while not forgetting to wear the school uniform. And raise the flag.

In the provinces, the school system is the same - lessons start at the same time, the same subjects. The differences, perhaps, are only in capabilities. In the provinces there are not many additional sections where you can send your child, for example, studying languages, music, etc., so in addition to studying, there is only studying, unlike the metropolitan slickers. In Beijing, and in others major cities In China, they try to give a little less homework, especially in primary grades, so that children have more free time to attend hobby groups. In addition, there is some inequality among those entering universities - a Beijinger with a score of 500 points on the Gaokao has the opportunity to enter a good university in the capital, while a school graduate from the province. Shandong, having scored the same 500 points, can only count on a technical school in Beijing. Geography has its place.

Teachers in schools are also very busy with work. According to one of the teachers at Shangdi Experimental Middle School, Beijing, the main test for a teacher is to find an appropriate approach to all students and evaluate based on their individual characteristics, since there are a lot of students in the class, sometimes the number reaches 48 - 50, it is not always possible to treat each individual individually. Teachers have a lot of work to do - check a huge amount of homework and exam sheets with tests, take advanced training courses, study scientific work, meet with students’ parents, etc. And if the teachers set class teacher, then all this falls on the poor in double volume. Therefore, teachers stay at school every day for another 2-3 hours - work takes up a lot of their free time. But you shouldn’t feel sorry for them ahead of time, they have winter and summer holidays, with which they compensate for the lack of free time on weekdays.

So, this is where the widespread judgment about the Chinese “grows” from, that they do not know how to think independently and are completely incapable of approaching things creatively - from the school education system, the Chinese themselves understand. Constant tests, tests, tests that deprive the student of solving a question on his own, rather than choosing the correct answer from 4 options. However, this “accordion” will not exist for long. Positive changes in school education have already been outlined, which are noted by both teachers and students themselves. Firstly, we slightly reduced the load with homework, there was a little less of it. Secondly, due to the reduction in homework, the child is encouraged to attend clubs that develop talents and abilities, such as: dancing, drawing, singing, music, learning foreign languages ​​and others, as far as the imagination and budget of the parents allow. Thirdly, returning to the test system, positive things can be found here: thanks to the tests, students have well-developed logic, and besides, the test system is very convenient for teachers when monitoring the level of knowledge. Still, don’t forget, there are 40 – 50 people in the class, and the lesson time is only 40 minutes. Fourth, the Chinese are actively adopting positive Foreign experience. As mentioned earlier, a system of two departments is being introduced in high school. On foreign branch lessons are taught by foreign teachers who focus on teamwork students, develop their creative skills, teamwork skills, as well as the ability not just to copy material, but to independently conduct research. Students speak in class, rather than just listen, and express their thoughts and opinions. Fifthly, due to the policy of reducing the birth rate, there are fewer and fewer students every year, which means it is easier for a teacher to find each student individual approach, focus on students, not books and assignments. Students also hope that the examination system, especially for entry into secondary school, will be more democratic and open, and the assessment system more fair.

All these improvements, however, are not intended to “discourage” students. On the contrary, due to the emerging positive changes, students will have more possibilities for self-realization. You will still have to work, because “you can’t catch a fish without work.” We wish them good luck in this noble cause and further success!

Are schoolchildren allowed to sleep in class in China? February 13th, 2017

This is not the first year that I have heard that today’s Russian schoolchild is terribly overloaded with the school schedule and the amount of knowledge that is provided for in the school curriculum. And now the school curriculum is being simplified, school subjects are being removed, and even the second shift in our region has been canceled - otherwise it is difficult for a schoolchild to study during the second shift.

Remembering your school years with second shifts and 6 lessons a day (the class was really physics-mathematics, but not that much), I somehow don’t remember the terrible workload, even taking into account the internationally recognized strong Soviet program training. In our country, everything will be reduced to insanity, so they canceled the second shifts - but they transport schoolchildren and teachers by bus to other schools (because there are not enough classes). So we've started simplifying the program and the burden on the child - how far will it go?

Oh yes. So why do Chinese schoolchildren sleep on their desks? Maybe they are so lazy?

Now we'll find out...

Photo 2.

For most students, sleeping in class results in a severe reprimand. But for these Chinese children, this behavior is not only allowed - it is encouraged.

First grade students from Guoxing No. 1 Primary School in western China's Shaanxi Province live in neighboring Xi'an. The school building is too small to accommodate lounges, and most students live too far away to go home for lunch, so they are forced to take their midday naps at their desks.

Photo 3.

This tradition is known as wujiao and is familiar to students in all schools in mainland China and Taiwan - taking a half-hour nap immediately after lunch. Although this habit may seem strange to Europeans, teachers insist that the children are very happy with their “sleeping” situation.

Although some of them bring blankets and pillows, most simply lie down on the tables with their clothes and even shoes on.

Photo 4.

Says the school principal: “They don't have time to go home and there's no room for beds at school, so they sleep on tables. They feel quite comfortable - and there is no chance that anyone will be late for the start of the next lesson."

Photo 5.

“We learn while we are alive. And we will study until we die” - the slogan of a Chinese high school student is not at all a figure of speech. In a country of almost one and a half billion people, higher education is one of the few, if not the only, social elevator for those who want something more than a daily bowl of rice. True, you need to pay such a high price for it, which probably only the most outstanding children in the world are capable of. And another five million Chinese. This is the number of places allocated annually for new first-year students. Not as much, by the way, as it might seem at first glance. Some time ago, Russian Minister of Education Dmitry Livanov complained that almost 75% of school graduates in Russia become students. So, in China this figure is almost four times lower.

For some universities, the competition can be up to 200 people per place. Moreover, not only school graduates of the current year apply for admission

Traditionally, those who fail the exam continue to try again and again, proving that perseverance is also one of the Chinese virtues. Sometimes veteran applicants really amaze the imagination: a few years ago, the entire Chinese press wrote about 81-year-old Wang Xia, for whom luck smiled only on his tenth anniversary.

There's no time to breathe

The typical daily routine of a Chinese schoolchild is monstrous, both from the point of view of sanitary standards and simply from a human perspective. Get up no later than five in the morning and immediately study independently. From eight in the morning until four in the afternoon there are lessons, and then from four until nine in the evening there are additional classes. Finally, at nine in the evening you can have dinner... and continue studying until fatigue and sleep completely knock you off your feet. Theoretically, there are two days off, but using both is bad form. Neither teachers nor parents will understand such “sloppiness.”

Sunday morning is the permissible maximum rest for a decent schoolchild, but if you fill it with useful educational activities, this will cause the unconditional approval of family and neighbors. Chinese wisdom says: while you are catching your breath, you have already been pushed back several steps

Summer holidays often do not exceed ten days, and then part of them is devoted to the necessary self-preparation. A typical summer scene in Singapore shopping centers with good air conditioning: hundreds of people who are not at all interested in shopping, but are poring over textbooks and notebooks. As a rule, these are high school students who are preparing for the main exams of their lives - the Gaokao.

The most important two hours in life

Gaokao is the all-China university entrance examination. Every year in early June, for three days, all graduates of the country test not only their erudition and intellect, but also their psychological and physical endurance.

Gaokao includes both compulsory subjects (Chinese language, literature and mathematics), each of which is allocated two hours, and elective subjects: foreign languages ​​and the so-called complex sciences. Here the test timing is reduced by half an hour.

If the student does not complete the test within the allotted time, the exam is considered failed. If a student allows himself to talk during the test, which for obvious reasons happens extremely rarely, the result will also be canceled. But cheating threatens with a lifelong ban on taking the Gaokao. It is clear that under such conditions the question of crib sheets does not even arise.

Comparison of the Unified State Exam and Gaokao is possible only formally. Both are epoch-making exams that open (or close, in case of failure) doors to the world higher education. However, the degree of nervousness and pressure on students in China is simply not comparable with Russian realities. A Chinese teenager is completely crushed by the expectations placed on him by his family and friends. Failure in an exam is not just an academic nuisance, but something comparable to a betrayal of a family, whose moral debt he must repay throughout his life. However, motivation built on feelings of guilt and duty, having at its disposal only a very tangible stick and virtual carrots in the “beautiful far away”, does not always bring the correct results.

The main thing is the result

Enormous amounts of information that need to be processed, in addition to the obvious benefits for mastering the subject, lead to strict prioritization, often to the detriment of quality. Western teachers who work with Chinese students report that the study load in most cases, it does not allow students to concentrate, think through and analyze tons of reading and learning. “If I ask their opinion about a book, I often see only bewilderment in their eyes,” American teacher Renee Forseth Williams writes in her blog, “but everything changes if I clarify that there will be a test based on the book. Some people say that – if it’s not for a test, I’m not interested.” In fact, only what is subject to testing is memorized. On the one hand, this allows you to really fully master the program. On the other hand, it completely excludes a creative approach, for which there simply is not enough time or energy.

Only for our own

Despite all the medieval cruelty of the Chinese educational model, attempts to instill local experience on European and American soil are made with enviable regularity. However, they are not particularly popular or successful. And yet, from time to time, the teaching and parent community explodes with emotion, reacting to books about “other” educational concepts. “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” is the apt title of a provocative work by Yale University professor Amy Chua. The author talks in detail about the strategy for teaching music to his daughters, already on the first page listing a strict set of rules required to achieve success. Actually, in fact, this is a set of prohibitions. Girls are not allowed to participate in school celebrations and theatrical productions, watch TV, choose classes at your own discretion, get any other grades other than A's, and even play on other musical instruments, except those that their mother chose for them. As one would expect, such a technique ultimately leads to terrible conflicts in the family and nervous breakdowns. Although girls do manage to achieve significant success in music.

sources

Chinese secondary education is unique in that, in addition to traditional ones, they try to instill moral principles in children and help them unleash their creative potential.

In China, all children aged 6 must go to school. First, they study for six years in primary school, then another three years in junior high school. This is compulsory education for everyone. After graduating from a first-level secondary school, you can enter a higher-level secondary school, where you study for three years. True, for this you need to pass entrance exams.

Public schools in China cater to Chinese children, but some are allowed to accept foreign students as well.

In this case, tuition will be paid, about 5 thousand dollars per semester. Training is conducted in Chinese, so for admission you need to pass an exam in Chinese, English and mathematics.

In addition, foreign students will first have to study for a year preparatory program. It will cost, on average, 28 thousand yuan ($4,500) per semester. The same cost for a semester of study school curriculum after enrollment.

Typically, Chinese schools with international branches for foreigners are located in major cities, especially Beijing and Shanghai. Mostly children of employees of international companies study there.

Among public schools China, accepting foreigners, Beijing First of October Middle School, People's University of China Middle School, Beijing No. 4 Middle School, No. 2 East China High School Pedagogical University(Shanghai), Fudan University Middle School in Shanghai and Shanghai Jiaotong University Middle School.

Private schools

There are also private schools in China, and they are more popular among foreigners.

One of the best is the boarding school Beijing New Talent Academy. Children aged 18 months and older are accepted here (the school has kindergarten) up to 18 years old. You can study in Chinese together with Chinese children or in the Cambridge International Center existing at the school in English according to British educational program. To enter the school you need to pass exams in Chinese, English and mathematics. If a child enters the Cambridge International Centre, then he must also pass mathematics in accordance with the requirements of the British program. Children who study in English still learn Chinese language and culture. The cost of training at the Beijing New Talent Academy is 76 thousand yuan per year for studying in Chinese ($12 thousand) and 120 thousand yuan for an English-language program ($20 thousand).

If American system Closer than the British one, you can choose Saint Paul American School in Beijing. Education there is conducted according to the American educational program with compulsory study Chinese language and culture.

In general, Chinese public and private schools that accept foreigners are aimed at children whose parents live in the country, although many schools offer boarding. Most students in international programs in Chinese schools are children of expats. Almost all schools require that a foreign child studying in a Chinese school have an official guardian in the country (this can be a parent) - a Chinese citizen or a person permanently residing in China and holding a residence permit. The guardian is responsible for the student and is the point of contact in case problems arise.

Children in China go to school for 12 years. As in most countries, training is divided into three stages. Interestingly, since 2008, the country has made it compulsory to complete 9 years of school education, which is free. Then parents and the child can independently decide whether to continue education in the last three grades.

Primary school in China lasts for a child from approximately 6 to 11 years of age. From 12 to 14 years of age, students complete incomplete secondary education, and from 15 to 18 they have the opportunity to complete their education at secondary school, although this is not compulsory. Future first-graders take the first small test before enrolling in school. After completing primary school, students take an exam. In order to start studying in secondary school you need to gain required amount points.

In China, there are schools at universities, and if a student scores enough points to join one, this almost always guarantees his further enrollment in the university. After completing their studies at school, its graduates take exams, which are both graduation from school and entrance exams to universities.

In order to be eligible to apply to universities, you need to achieve the minimum required number of points. The higher the status of the institution, the greater the demands it can make on applicants. As in Ukraine, a graduate has the opportunity to apply to several universities.

Features of training and schedules

Compared to other countries, Chinese students have a greater workload because the Chinese language is quite complex. Students spend 80% of their school time studying their native language and mathematics. Children study 5 days a week and study from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Typically the teaching schedule is as follows: From 8 to 11.30 students have lessons from important items- this is a native and foreign language and mathematics. From 11.30 to 14.00 children rest - have a lunch break. From 14 to 16 there are classes in secondary subjects - Physical Culture, labor, art.

By the way, children should do physical education at school for at least 70 minutes a week. Classes in China are quite large - usually starting from 30 students, but usually up to 70 students. The academic year in the country lasts two semesters. As in Ukraine, students are given points at the end of each course, so parents can always be aware of their child’s progress. Discipline in schools is very strict - if a student does not attend 12 classes without good reason, he is expelled.

Interesting facts about schools in China:

1. Exercises and training sessions are held in schools every day. The morning at school begins with exercises, and then there is a line where students are told the news and the flag is raised.

2. Many schools in China do not have heating, so in winter students can study even in outerwear.

3. During the first six months of schooling, Chinese children learn 400 characters.

4. Chinese students do not have diaries - only a notebook where tasks are written down. Parents can monitor their child’s achievements only using verified tests, teachers distribute to students.

Life for the Chinese is extremely difficult. When there are more than one and a half billion of you in a country without social guarantees, you have to work hard to find a place in the sun. But Chinese children are ready for this - their hard work begins in first grade.

At one time, I worked as an English teacher in four Chinese schools (and as a trainer at a kung fu school). Therefore it is very interesting to compare Russian education and features of schools in the Middle Kingdom.

1. Many schools in China do not have heating, so in winter teachers and students do not take off their outerwear.

Central heating is available exclusively in the north of the country. In central and southern China, buildings are designed for warm climates. This means that in winter, when the temperature can drop to zero, and sometimes even lower, the only means of heating is air conditioning. School uniform- tracksuit: wide pants and jacket. The cut is almost the same everywhere, only the colors of the suit and the school emblem on the chest differ. All school grounds are bordered by large iron gates, which are always kept closed, opening only to allow students to leave.

2. In Chinese schools, they do exercises every day (and more than one) and conduct a general exercise.


The morning at school begins with exercises, then a line on which the main news is reported and the flag is raised - school or state. After the third lesson, all children do exercises to relax their eyes. To the accompaniment of soothing music and a recorded narrator's voice, schoolchildren click on special dots. Besides morning exercises There is daily exercise - around two o'clock in the afternoon, when, under the same inexorable loudspeaker, schoolchildren pour out into the corridor in a single impulse (if there is not enough space in the classrooms), begin to raise their arms to the sides and up and jump.

3. A big break, also known as a lunch break, usually lasts a whole hour.


During this time, children have time to go to the canteen (if there is no canteen at the school, they are brought food in special trays-boxes), have lunch, and also run, stretch their legs, scream and play pranks. Teachers in all schools are given free lunch. And, I must say, the food is very good. Lunch traditionally consists of one meat and two vegetable dishes, rice and soup. Expensive schools also provide fruit and yogurt. People in China love to eat, and even at school traditions are observed. After the lunch break, some junior schools allow five minutes of “sleep time.” By the way, a couple of times my students fell asleep in the middle of the lesson, and the poor things had to be woken up with their hearts bleeding.

A variant of a modest school lunch by Chinese standards: eggs with tomatoes, tofu, cauliflower with pepper, rice.

4. The attitude towards teachers is very respectful.

They are called by their surname with the prefix "teacher", such as Teacher Zhang or Teacher Xiang. Or just “teacher”. In one school, students - no matter whether they were mine or not - bowed when they met me.

5. In many schools it is normal physical punishment.


A teacher can hit a student with his hand or a pointer for some offense. The farther from big cities and the simpler the school, the more common it is. My Chinese friend told me that at school they were given a certain time to learn English words. And for every unlearned word they were beaten with a stick.

Grades range from A to F, where A is the highest, corresponding to 90-100%, and F - unsatisfactory 59%. Rewarding good behavior is an important part of the educational system. For example, for a correct answer or exemplary behavior in class, a student receives a star of a certain color or extra points. Points and stars will be deducted for talking in class or misconduct. The progress of schoolchildren is reflected on a special chart on the board. The competition, so to speak, is obvious.

7. Chinese children study more than 10 hours every day.


Lessons usually last from eight in the morning until three or four in the afternoon, after which the children go home and do endless things homework until nine or ten o'clock in the evening. On weekends, schoolchildren from big cities necessarily have some kind of additional classes with tutors; they go to music school, art schools and sports sections. Due to the highest level of competition, children are under pressure from their parents from childhood. If they cannot do well in the exam after primary school (and compulsory education in China takes 12–13 years), then the path to university is barred.

On September 1, first-graders of the Confucius School in Nanjing take part in the ceremony of writing the hieroglyph “ren” (“person”), which begins their education.

8. Schools are divided into public and private.

Tuition fees at private schools can reach up to thousands of dollars per month. The level of education in them is many times higher. Special meaning attached to the study of a foreign language. 2–3 English lessons per day, and by grade 5–6 students elite schools already speak English fluently. However, for example, in Shanghai there is a special Government program, paid by the government, in which foreign teachers also teach in regular, public schools.

9. The education system is based on rote memorization.

Children simply memorize a huge amount of material. Teachers demand automatic reproduction, without particularly caring about how understandable the learned material is. But now they are gaining more and more popularity alternative systems training: Montessori or Waldorf, aimed at development in children creativity. Of course, such schools are private, education in them is expensive and accessible to a very small number of people.

10. Children from poor families who do not want to study or are too naughty(according to parents), they are often taken out of general education educational institution and sent to kung fu schools.

There they live on full board, train from morning to evening and, if they are lucky, receive a basic primary education: they must be able to read and write, and, given the Chinese language system, this is very difficult. In such institutions, physical punishment is the order of the day.

Classes at a kung fu school.

Teachers hit students with a stick-sword or, without further ado, they can kick or slap students. But at the end of the day, parents get a disciplined young man with the profession of a kung fu trainer and at least some chance to break into the people. Most of the famous kung fu masters went through just such a school of life. It is also quite common for children with poor health to be sent here for a year or two so that they can strengthen their health by living and practicing kung fu or tai chi.

Regardless of where Chinese children study - in a kung fu school or a regular one, they learn three main qualities from childhood: the ability to work, discipline and respect for elders and hierarchy.


They are taught from childhood that they must be the best, no matter what. Perhaps this is why the Chinese are now beginning to occupy leading positions in all branches of science, culture and art. Competing with Europeans who grew up in warmer conditions, they often do not leave them a chance. Simply because we are not used to studying for ten hours straight. Every day. All year round.