Millions of Chinese students start exams in biggest ‘gaokao’ ever
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The number of students taking this year’s multi-subject gaokao series is set to be a record high.
PHOTO: AFP
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BEIJING – Mothers in crimson dresses and fathers clutching umbrellas huddled together in drizzly Beijing after sending their children into an examination hall on June 7 – the first day of China’s biggest gaokao tests that will shape the future of millions of high school kids.
The number of students taking this year’s multi-subject gaokao series is set to be a record high, with the Education Ministry saying that 13.42 million candidates have registered for the high-stakes tests.
“People say this is the start of life,” said 50-year-old mother Zhi Haihong. “So, one cannot slack off.”
Mrs Zhi wore a traditional qipao to take her daughter to the examination hall in central Beijing, in the hope that its auspicious bright-red colour would bring good luck.
China’s gaokao drills high school students on various subjects including Chinese, English, mathematics, science and humanities. The results are critical for gaining admission to university.
High-level education has expanded rapidly in China during recent decades as an economic boom pushed up living standards – as well as parents’ expectations for their children’s careers.
The job market that fresh graduates now enter is no longer as rosy as it once was, as the world’s second-largest economy struggles to achieve a post-pandemic recovery, with high unemployment among young people being a significant concern.
“I think this is a necessary process of growing up,” Mrs Zhi said, when asked if she thought young people face great pressure to pursue their studies.
“The gaokao is also a method for the country to select talented people,” she added.
“Only after undergoing such pressure can one’s mental tolerance increase. Then you will be able to withstand any pressures in the future at work and in society.
“I think this is understandable.”
Students lining up to pass a security check outside a school on the first day of the national college entrance exam in Bozhou, China, on June 7.
PHOTO: AFP
Praise from space
A list of top trending topics on social media site Weibo on June 7 was filled with exam-related discussions, with many users sharing pictures of uniform-clad students exchanging high-fives and hugging their parents before entering testing centres.
The official Weibo account of China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe
“Every one of you who is striving hard is terrific,” it said in encouragement.
The education authorities are on high alert each year ahead of the exams as elaborate cheating attempts have been uncovered in previous years.
Areas around testing centres are often tightly controlled, with traffic diverted and honking prohibited to ensure a comfortable environment that will allow test participants to concentrate.
A mother holding flowers as students line up to enter a school on the first day of the national college entrance exam in Bozhou, China, on June 7.
PHOTO: AFP
On the morning of June 7, 45-year-old Mr Sun Song stood under an umbrella chatting with other parents after seeing his daughter off for her first exam.
“It will be enough if she can find a job she likes and get into a school she likes,” he said.
“As long as she is happy, it is enough.” AFP
