USA vs. China Ways (7.1)

What are the Pain Points in China’s Education System?

China’ s education has two major pain points: first lack of open and independent systems; second, lack of the training of holistic critical thinking. One thing the Chines education system is good at testing and some people jokingly claim the Chinese educating is a testing machines and students there can be very competitive in test and exams.

Tests and exams are no doubt a important part of the whole education system, but the are tools not goals. China has done tests and exams for over 2000 years. The major methods for students to pass the test and exams are via memorizing, reciting, and writing the so called “eight part essays” (a classic and dogmatic Chinese writing style).But tests and exams alone don’t necessary produce qualified students especially for the modern times.

The two major pain points mentioned above are more critical for modern educational success. As long as they exist, they will continue to drag China’s education behind.

The reason is simple: the world fundamentally is an open structure made of independent systems. If an education system can’t match such basic characteristics of the world, how can it be successful?

As for critical thinking, as Defined by the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking, 1987: Critical…