Big day: Parents taking pictures as students enter a school during the annual gaokao in Beijing. — AFP
Hopeful parents accompanied their teenage children to the gates of a busy Beijing test centre, where millions of high school students across China were sitting their first day of the highly competitive university entrance exam.
Nationwide, 13.35 million students have registered for the multi-subject “gaokao” series this year, according to the Education Ministry, down from last year’s record-high 13.42 million test takers.
Outside the central Beijing secondary school, a proud parent who gave her name as Chen said “12 years of hard work have finally led to this moment” – as she waved a fan in front of her daughter while the student reviewed her notes one last time before the test.
“We know our kids have endured so much hardship,” Chen said, adding that she was not nervous.
“I’m actually quite excited. I think my child is excellent, and I’m sure she will get the best score,” she said.
A student holding flowers after the first day of the exam, outside a school in Beijing. — AFP
China’s gaokao requires students to use all their knowledge acquired to this point, testing them on subjects including Chinese, English, mathematics, science and the humanities.
The exam results are critical for gaining admission to university and for determining whether students will attend a prestigious or a more modest institution.
While teachers and staff offered students their support, holding up signs of encouragement, some test takers, dressed in school uniforms, appeared panicked, including a girl with tears in her eyes.
“There’s no need for us parents to add pressure.
“The children are already under a lot of it,” said a woman named Wang, whose son had just entered the exam hall.
Like many mothers, she wore a traditional Chinese qipao in hopes of bringing good luck.
“I hope my son achieves immediate success and gets his name on the (list of high-scoring candidates),” Wang said with a smile.
Higher education has expanded rapidly in China in recent decades as an economic boom pushed up living standards – as well as parents’ expectations for their children’s careers.
But the job market for young graduates remains daunting.
As of April, 15.8% of people aged 16 to 24 living in urban areas were unemployed, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Due to this pressure, many Chinese students prepare for the gaokao from a young age, often with extra lessons after the regular school day.
And every year education authorities are on guard against cheating and disruptions during the exam.
All the best: School staff members welcoming students as they arrive for the exam in Beijing. — AFP
This week, China’s Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang called for a “safe gaokao”, stressing the importance of a rigorous campaign against cheating.
Areas around exam centres are closely guarded by police, with road lanes closed to traffic and several cities banning motorists from honking their horns so as not to disrupt the concentration of students.
In some schools, facial recognition is even used to prevent fraud.
While the university admission rate for gaokao test takers has exceeded 80-90% in recent years, many students disappointed with their results choose to repeat the exam.
As there is no age limit for the test, some have become notorious for attempting the exam dozens of times, either after failing it or not getting into their top-choice university.
One teacher at the Beijing school where parents saw off their children yesterday estimated that only about 10 of the approximately 600 final-year students there would earn a place at one of the capital’s top universities.
Jiang, a final-year high school student who provided only his first name, expressed his aspiration to attend a university in Beijing and remained calm shortly before his Chinese exam.
“Even though the pressure is intense, it’s actually quite fair,” he said.
“I feel like all the preparations that needed to be made have been made, so there’s really no point in being nervous now, right?
“Whatever happens, happens. It’s truly not something I can completely control.” — AFP
