Angela Kappus
HONR 298 – Topic 5
Key Topics
The history of
Education in post-
revolution China
Comparing the
Structures of U.S
and Chinese
Education
Why the heck do I
have to go there
again?: A
discussion on
Study Abroad in
China
Chinese Education After
1949
In 1949, only around 20% of children were
enrolled in Primary Education. By 1956,
still fewer than 50% of primary and
secondary aged children were in school.
Higher education reforms started with the
introduction of the Soviet model. The first
National Higher Education conference was
held in 1950.
1951 – The reforms increased. The CCP
works to reform the way Universities
teach.
History con’t: The Soviet
Model
Universities were
divided into three
types:
– Comprehensive,
combining the
sciences and
humanities
– Polytechnics, with
several applied
sciences in one
building
– Specialized
Colleges
History con’t: Primary and
Secondary Education
The push became adding more
Primary schools, especially in the
cities.
Secondary schools were also split
into College Preperatory and
Technical
Students were being trained to
match the needs of the economy
Standards were created and
streamlined
History con’t: Problems with
the Soviet Model
Many people still
remained illiterate
Urban-Rural gap in
students going to
college remained just
as wide
China still wasn’t
producing enough
trained people to run
the Western
technology they
wanted
“Hundred Flowers” Movement
– 1956
Objective became
universal Primary
schooling within 12
years, and the
elimination of illiteracy
within 7.
Collectives now ran
village schools
The first mandatory
trips to work in the
countryside began
The first post 1949
Graduate Program
was established
Anti-Rightist backlash
Professors were included in the “anti-
rightist” movement
Anyone who had critiziced the
Government during the previous
movement was ridiculed and some
lost their jobs
Movement towards “walking on two
legs”, which officially split schools
between work-study and College
preperatory.
The Cultural Revolution -
1966
Many students started
protesting against
administration
Liu Shaoqui at first
worked to quell the
uprising, but Mao
stopped him, giving the
students implied
support
Schools fell into control
of the Red Guards, the
PLA, or even the
peasants
A large number of
young children were
educated due to
widespread commune
Deng Xiaoping’s Reform -
1976
A new focus on the “Four Modernizations”
- agriculture, industry, national defense,
and science and technology
Remembering the “Four Cardinal
Principles” -
the socialist road, the people's democratic
dictatorship, the Chinese Communist Party
leadership, and Marxism-Leninism-Mao
Zedong thought
A new focus on quality over quantity
1985 – “Decision of the Reform of the
Education System”
The Structure Today
Education is required for
everyone for 6 years of
Primary and 3 years of
lower secondary school.
You must pass an exam to
get into Senior Middle
school. Otherwise, you go
to vocational school.
Curriculums include
Chinese, mathematics,
physics, chemistry,
biology, geology, English,
history, geography,
politics, music, fine arts
and physical education
College Entrance Exams
A national exam, usually
taking place in June, that
affects nearly eight
million people.
It consists of compulsory
papers in Chinese,
mathematics and a
foreign language (usually
English). A selection from
the six optional subjects -
physics, chemistry,
biology, history,
geography and political
economy will also be
included.
These exams are
psychologically intense,
with many students
committing suicide.
Chinese Universities
By the end of 2004,
China had 2,236
colleges and
universities, with over
20 million students
enrolled.
Top Universities
include Peking
University, Fudan
University, Nanjing
University, Tsinghua
University, Shanghai
Jiao Tong University
However, many
Chinese Students still
go to the United
States to study
Resources
Surowski, David B. History of the Educational System of
China.
http://www.math.ksu.edu/~dbski/publication/history.html