A student in China says her family only bought a televison after she was accepted by a top university. - Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Baidu_Haokan
BEIJING: A Chinese secondary school graduate has told how her family only bought a television after she was accepted by the country’s top Peking University, sparking a heated online debate over parenting.
Tian Chang is a senior secondary school student at Zhengzhou Foreign Language School, in central China’s Henan province.
She was recently recommended for admission to Peking University’s Burmese language programme, months ahead of this year’s gaokao, or national college entrance examination, in June.
This means liberation from the stressful business of college entrance examination preparations earlier.
In an interview with Henan TV, she said her family celebrated by buying their first ever television.
Tian said her parents did not let her play with phones when she was little, even though she owned her own smartphone.
She said she was limited to using a chat app for 10 minutes a day, and was only allowed to use a homework app to help with her studies for longer period.
She agreed with the strict control her parents imposed and said adults should not spoil their children.
Tian Chang says she has no problem with her parents’ strict approach to education. - Photo: Baidu
Tian said her parents read books by her side while she studied in the evenings, and only went to bed after she finished her homework.
She said she was good at studying, and it only took a little effort to learn everything.
She said she ranked first all the time in primary school, and achieved a score of 587 out of 600 in senior secondary school entrance examinations.
The erhu, a two-stringed bowed Chinese musical instrument, that she had played since she was young helped her with her studies.
She said it helped develop her right brain, which improved her imagination, creativeness, and language skills, which led to her acceptance by Peking University.
She said she would be dedicated to studying Burmese language and culture, and contributing to the research and practice of the infrequently studied language in China.
Her story has triggered mixed reactions online.
Some people praised her parents’ emphasis on her education, while others said their methods were too rigid.
“Her parents really set a good example for her. Only when parents discipline themselves will the children learn to do so,” said one online observer.
“Such an education only limits a child’s horizons. A person raised in this way often lacks life experience and becomes mature much later than their peers,” said another.
A third person questioned the family’s test-oriented approach.
“Is going to a good university the whole meaning of life? A lot of top university graduates become street vendors, which proves that university is no longer a life-changing experience. It is more important to teach happiness to children,” the person said.
It is predicted that this year, a record-breaking 14 million students will take the competitive gaokao college entrance exam, over half a million more than last year.
The number of candidates had been rising for seven years.
The recent admission rate for bachelor’s degree majors was mostly under 60 per cent.
Many ordinary Chinese families still view the exam as their children’s only route to success, and push their studies hard from primary school. - South China Morning Post
