Studying in China, universities and schools, Chinese language. Education in China: higher, school and preschool. Education system in China

It would not be entirely correct to assume that China's phenomenal economic success is caused only by stimulating exports and creating a favorable investment climate. The reform of local education played a positive role in the development of the country. IN last years Studying in China is becoming increasingly popular among foreigners. Large foreign companies operating in the field international trade or just planning to enter the Chinese market, need specialists who speak Chinese or are well acquainted with the peculiarities of local legislation.

Despite the fact that the education system in China is in many ways similar to the Russian one, it is still not worth equating them. Differences exist both in the workload for each student and in the number of subjects taught. However, if parents working in this moment in China, have minor children, then it will be in their interests to do everything possible to ensure that their child is able to learn Chinese. Subsequently, this will give him a significant advantage in finding a job and in his career.

Today there are no problems in terms of obtaining secondary education. A school with Russian language of instruction exists in Beijing (at the Russian Embassy), as well as in Guangzhou (primary). If they wish to learn Chinese, Russian citizens can enroll in training courses. Their monthly fees range from $100 to $200.

When considering the possibility of obtaining higher education in China, one should not forget about another important advantage - the cost of studying at Chinese universities is 10-20 times lower than in Western Europe or the USA. At the same time, many higher educational institutions have special groups for foreign students, where teaching and exams are held in English.

Study in China

In 1985, an educational reform was launched in the PRC, which subsequently somewhat modified the school and preschool education. In particular, secondary education was divided into three levels, two of which became compulsory. The rights and opportunities for graduates to enter higher education institutions have been significantly expanded. The number of preschool institutions gradually began to increase.

Preschool education

As in Russia, preschool education in China is partially paid. Most of the costs of paying teachers and other personnel are borne by the state; parents only pay the cost of feeding their child.

The Chinese kindergarten accepts children starting from the age of 3. The training period is three years - from 3 to 6 years. Each kindergarten has age groups:

• initial;
• average;
• older.

Most public kindergartens not only provide day care for children, but also prepare them for school by teaching simple arithmetic operations and hieroglyphs. If parents want to more thoroughly prepare their child for first grade or are interested in him learning English, then in many cities there are private preschool institutions for this purpose.

The academic year in all Chinese schools begins on September 1. Primary education in China is compulsory for all children starting at age 6. Only in some remote and rural areas schools are accepted from the age of 7.

The duration of primary school education is 6 years. Admission to first grade is based on test results. This allows you to identify the most capable students in advance.

The Chinese school has some differences from the Russian one primary education. For example, in rural areas, many educational institutions do not have a heating system, which forces students to sit in classrooms in outerwear in winter. Every day in schools in the PRC they conduct exercises, after which a line is held with the raising of the flag.

The primary school curriculum includes:

• Chinese;
• natural history;
• mathematics;
• history;
• music;
• drawing;
• physical education;
• geography;
• work;
• political information and ethics of behavior.

Sometimes lessons are supplemented with work on cleaning the school grounds and excursions.

Secondary education

To accurately answer the question of how children study in China, it is necessary to take into account the division of the period of study into stages (levels). The first of these is primary school, which lasts 6 years. Then, at approximately 12 years of age, children move to the first level of secondary school. Like primary classes, it is compulsory.

Only then, after 9th grade, does the student have the opportunity to choose: continue his education in high school (grades 10-12) or transfer to vocational (special) education. This choice is very conditional. The opportunity to obtain a complete secondary education is provided to the student based on the results of final exams. If a teenager does not do well in basic subjects, no one will take him to 10th grade.

First level

Chinese middle school has some characteristic differences when compared with Russian system education. For example, in the PRC it is common practice to fill classes with 35-40 students. In addition, a typical school day in China lasts not until 2 p.m., but until 4 p.m. However, it is divided into two parts: from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., children study basic subjects—algebra, Chinese and foreign language, physics, geography, etc. Then a whole hour is reserved for lunch and rest, after which, from 14 to 16 hours, teachers conduct lessons in secondary subjects: drawing, physical education, singing, music. From the 7th grade, the list of compulsory subjects is supplemented with computer science.

Testing is often used to test knowledge. Students are graded on a 100-point system, but they are designated not by numbers, but by one of the Latin letters: from A to F, in descending order. The highest grade is A. It corresponds to 90 points. If the teacher wants to reward the student, he can add a few extra points to the grade.

Second level

After finishing 9th grade, the student takes final exams, on the basis of which the form of his further education is determined. Satisfactory test results allow the student to move on to the second level of secondary education. In other countries it is usually called senior classes.

As in Russia, in the 10th grade, students are divided by profile. There are only two of them:

• academic profile (in-depth study of subjects required for admission to a university);
• vocational and technical profile (training for admission to technical or agro-industrial colleges).

Receiving secondary education ends after 12th grade. Considering that Chinese children enter first grade at six years old, the age of graduates does not exceed 18 years.

Special

In addition to the usual educational schools, China has a wide network of vocational schools. Admission to these educational institutions is carried out after completing 9th grade. Vocational schools train qualified specialists for state and private enterprises with the further prospect of obtaining a specialty as an engineer. But for this, a vocational school graduate will also have to study in college.

Another type of special education is evening schools, where adult citizens can receive a certificate on the job. Also very popular distance learning. It is indispensable for those schoolchildren who live in remote areas and do not have the opportunity to attend classes every day.

Living and studying in China: Video

Structure of higher education

Despite the fact that the number of universities in China exceeds 2,500, higher education is not available to all school graduates. Firstly, the objective obstacle is the large competition for prestigious specialties to universities. Sometimes from 200 to 300 applicants apply for one student place.

Secondly, those school graduates who were unable to get into budget place at a university can receive higher education only on a paid basis. Many families cannot afford this.

However, the number of students in public and private universities in China is increasing every year. As of 2017, the number of students at universities and institutes exceeds 20 million people. The vast majority of students study for free, paying only for their accommodation in the dormitory.

Higher education in China can be obtained by completing a bachelor's degree and then a master's degree. If the master's degree meets the university's requirements, he can continue his studies in doctoral studies, which opens the way to obtaining scientific degree. The following stages of training are allocated:

• Bachelor's degree – 3-5 years:
• Master's degree – 2-3 years;
• Doctoral studies – 3 years.

Popular educational institutions in China

Behind Lately The quality of higher education in China has noticeably improved. This is evidenced by the fact that at the end of last year, 23 Chinese universities were included in the top 500 universities in the world. According to this indicator, China is second only to the USA, Great Britain and Germany.

Universities in Beijing and Shanghai are considered the most popular among local applicants. However, this does not mean that all excellent students strive to enter only these two educational institutions. Do not forget that the competition for prestigious specialties in Chinese universities is huge. Therefore, most graduates, realistically assessing their chances of admission, choose to study in the largest city of their own or a neighboring province.

The best universities in China, in addition to Beijing and Shanghai, are concentrated in several megacities that are regional centers. If we take into account the formal ranking of Chinese universities, it looks like this:

1. Tsinghua University (Beijing);
2. Peking University;
3. Fudan University (Shanghai);
4. Sun Yat-sen University (Zhongshan);
5. Shanghai Jiaotong University;
6. Chongqing University;
7. Nanjing University;
8. Fudan University.

These universities provide a full range of educational services, starting from bachelor's degree and ending with doctoral studies. If a graduate is interested in technical colleges, then they can enroll in almost any large or medium-sized city in China.

Cost of education

Taking into account that higher education in Beijing and Shanghai is at a relatively high level, many foreigners, including from Russia, are interested in how much it costs to study in China.

Despite the fact that in China higher education for local citizens is mostly free (there are budgetary and paid forms of education), this does not apply to foreigners. They cannot do so on ordinary grounds. The only exception is receiving a government grant or participating in an exchange program. For everyone else, a paid form of training is available.

The cost of an academic year at a Chinese university remains relatively reasonable compared to many other countries - from 2000 to 4000 US dollars. The indicated amount does not include payment for accommodation in the hostel. That's about an extra $1,000 a year.

International student exchange programs

The Chinese authorities traditionally declare openness in the scientific and educational sphere. This also applies to student exchanges with other countries.

In practice, this means that a full-time Russian student can apply to participate in an exchange program with a Chinese university. Of course, you shouldn’t count on studying at the most prestigious universities in Beijing or Shanghai, but provincial universities in China willingly participate in such programs. For a Russian student, this will be at least an excellent opportunity to improve their Chinese language skills. Moreover, under the terms of the exchange program there is no tuition fee.

Excellent students who speak Chinese or English have an advantage to participate in the exchange. To begin the procedure, the applicant needs to submit an application to the dean’s office of his university. If the educational institution participates in the exchange program, you will also have to prepare:

• an extract from the grade book for the entire period of study at the university;
• medical certificate of the established form;
• recommendations from teachers.

How can a foreigner enter college?

In recent years, studying in China has become very popular for Russians, given not only the relatively low cost of education, but also the opportunity to qualify for a preferential student exchange program. In addition, there is another way to go to study in China for free. This option involves applying for a grant from the PRC government.

It is worth considering that this opportunity is available only to those who want to improve their Chinese language. In other words, an applicant for a grant for free education must master it at least at the everyday level.

To apply to study at a Chinese university or college, you must send an email to the address listed on the official website of the educational institution. The response will include information about current programs for foreign students. As a rule, they all require payment in one amount or another. Applicants for free education in China should contact the dean's office of their Russian university or look for information on the website of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.

Required documents

If your application to study in China has been approved, the university will send detailed instructions about what documents are required for enrollment as a student. Typically this list includes:

• international passport;
• extract from the grade book (for students);
• extract from the certificate of secondary education (for applicants);
• medical certificate;
• a copy of the payment receipt.

All documents issued in Russian must have a notarized translation into English or Chinese.

Scholarships and grants

As of 2019, the following grants for training foreign students exist in China:

• Confucius Scholarship (for those who wish to study Chinese);
• Government scholarship CSC (for bachelors of Russian universities wishing to obtain a master's degree in China).

Student accommodation

Living conditions for students at Chinese universities can be called Spartan. In any case, they are much worse than in Russia. For example, rooms for students are designed for 5-6 people. There is one kitchen per floor, and at 10 pm or 11 pm the electricity throughout the hostel is centrally turned off. Girls and boys live in separate buildings.

There are still certain concessions for foreign students. Usually they are accommodated in dormitories, where the rooms are designed for 2-3 people, and a kitchen and bathroom are available in each block of 3-4 rooms. But the cost of such privileges will be higher than for locals. If Chinese students pay 200-500 dollars a year for a dormitory, then a foreigner will have to pay about 1000 dollars.

Applying for a student visa

The main condition for obtaining a study visa is a study contract or the provision of financial guarantees. If there are no problems with the financial issue, the future student will need to contact one of the Chinese consulates operating in Russia.

Chinese diplomatic missions accept documents within the boundaries of their consular district. In practice, this means that a citizen of the Russian Federation who is officially registered in the Far Eastern Federal District can apply for a student visa only in Khabarovsk, but not in Moscow, St. Petersburg or Irkutsk. Despite the fact that Chinese consulates also operate in the listed cities, failure to comply with this rule will lead to rejection of the application.

A study visa to China has categories X1 or X2. In the first case, the planned duration of training is more than 6 months, in the second - less than 6 months.

List of documents

The list of documentation required to obtain a study visa includes:

• international passport;
• certificate of secondary education;
• a college or university diploma (for those who already have one higher or secondary specialized education);
• color photo 3.5 by 4.5 cm;
• IELTS or TOEFL results (for those planning to study in English);
• HSK (Chinese language proficiency test) result;
• medical certificate of the established form;
• letters of recommendation(if possible);
• a copy of the training contract or a certificate of financial guarantees.

Is it possible to extend

A student visa is issued for the period of study specified in the contract, with a corridor of 1-2 months for arrival and settlement. In most cases, university students are issued an annual X1 visa. If a student arrives in the PRC for short-term language courses for less than 180 days, he will be issued an entry permit of category X2.

Extension of a student visa is allowed based on the presentation of documents confirming such a need. University students' visas are renewed annually without the need to leave China. To do this, you need to contact your local migration service.

Internship and job search after graduation

Successful completion of a Chinese university or institute does not mean that the graduate will automatically find high paying job in Russia or China. But no one will deny that a diploma from a Chinese university provides significant advantages in finding vacancies.

To do this, you can use popular job sites. Some of them are English speaking, i.e. designed for foreigners temporarily staying in China. Others only have the Chinese version. However, for graduates of a local university, language proficiency will not be a problem. Some of the most famous job search sites in China include: The Beijiner, CareerBuilder, ChinaJob, ExpatJobsChina.

You can also find work in China by browsing the websites of large local companies. Some of them have a special section for current vacancies.

Do not forget that many Russian companies need qualified specialists to work in their Chinese branch. To apply for such a position, you need to view vacancies on Russian employment sites or subscribe to the newsletter.

Currently, education in China is one of the priority areas. It's hard to believe that in the mid-20th century, more than 80 percent of the people in the country were illiterate.

Levels of education

The education system in China has three levels. Preschool education, as in our country, is presented here in the form of kindergartens. Children from the age of three can visit them. Preschool education in China lasts three years.

The second option is designed for six years of primary school, then three years of junior high school.

Further education in China is aimed at teenagers. After three years of education, they will be able to enter a university, then graduate school.

Vocational schools

Such education in China is presented in two varieties:

• for teenagers who have completed incomplete high school it is designed for 4 (or 3) years;
• For high school graduates who are 22 years of age, a two-year option is offered.

graduate School

Higher education in China (bachelor's degree) lasts 4-5 years. To become a professional doctor, you need to study for at least 7-8 years. Graduate schools in China prepare:

• masters (2-3-year option);
• Doctors of Science (3 years).

Masters must not be older than 40 years, and doctors must not be older than 45.

Preschool education

System preschool education in China involves private and public gardens. Here children from three to six years old prepare for school, learn school curriculum. In one preschool institution There are about 270 kids, each group has 25-26 people. About five percent of children spend here not only the day, but also the night; the rest go home with their parents after 18-00. Each group has two qualified teachers and one assistant.

Secondary education

The basis of school education in China is nine years, and it is paid. Its purpose is to educate the working person, as well as prepare him for subsequent higher education. In elementary school, children learn Chinese literacy for six years and receive basic knowledge about society and nature. Particular attention is paid here to patriotic education, as well as physical education.

From the third grade, in addition to Chinese, mathematics, physical education, music, ethics, children learn a foreign language. The peculiarities of education in China are that with fourth grade The guys work for two weeks in workshops and on the farm, and some are engaged in social activities once a week.

On weekdays, children have 6-7 lessons. China has strict discipline, so schoolchildren are prohibited from missing more than 12 classes without a good reason. Each class has its own classroom.

After finishing seventh grade, children take exams in China. The subsequent fate of schoolchildren depends on the results they show. China also has a Unified State Exam, based on its results, the best students receive a “lucky ticket” to a higher education institution. Final exams take place in May.

What else is it characterized by? modern education? China has introduced certain rules for obtaining a certificate. To become the proud owner of the treasured document, you must pass exams in mathematics, physics, political science, history, chemistry, computer science, and languages.

Focus of vocational schools

What can you say about this education in China? Let us briefly note that vocational schools in this country are designed to train specialists in agriculture, legal sciences, and medicine. In addition, there are certain technical educational institutions that train workers for the steel, pharmaceutical, fuel, and textile industries. Among the prestigious areas in China, vocational agricultural education is highlighted. The course lasts only three years.

For children who came to China from other countries, the opportunity to receive an education in special private boarding schools is provided. After completing the course of study, the graduate receives an official diploma of secondary education.

Such a document most often has a double template. One is in Chinese and the other is in English. Boarding houses accept children from the age of nine. Such educational institutions make this country open to children from any country, including Russia.

The only Russian school in this country can be found only in Inin. It is an elementary version of education and does not have its own dormitory. In this regard, only children who live in Yining can study there. Lessons in this educational institution are conducted in Russian and Chinese. The program includes music, language literacy, Physical Culture, mathematics.

Vacation time

Chinese children have two types of holidays. Summer holidays last from mid-July to the end of August. Winter holidays are designed for the period from January to mid-February.

Unlike our country, throughout the holidays, children do a variety of homework. Not all students are sent abroad by their parents for two weeks to undergo internships in various academic disciplines.

Features of higher education

There are currently many academies and state institutions. Some higher education institutions have huge campuses. After completing the academy, almost all graduates receive assigned jobs.

If they wish to obtain a Chinese diploma of higher education, they can also Foreign citizens. To do this, it is necessary to translate all educational documents into Chinese and have them notarized. Some higher educational institutions in the Celestial Empire do not require notarization of documents; they are content with the signature on the materials of the vice-rector for international work, as well as their certification with the official seal.

The process of recognizing foreign higher education diplomas as equivalent (nostrification of Chinese and Russian documents) is carried out in automatic mode. This is facilitated by the agreement that was signed in 1995. According to the document, citizens who received education in one country have the right to obtain a job in their existing specialty in another state where the agreement is in force.

If an agreement has not been signed with the country in which the specialist received his diploma, he will have to legalize his documents. For this purpose, special extraterritorial offices of state issuance have been created in China; in addition, such a procedure can be carried out in the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Students from Russia can receive education in 12 main specialties in China. In this eastern country, about five hundred universities are available to Russians and have the right to accept foreign students.

Students from the Russian Federation can study:

• warfare;
• agronomy;
• engineering;
• natural Sciences;
• history;
• management;
• pedagogy;
• medicine;
• philosophy;
• jurisprudence;
• economics;
• mathematics.

Chinese legal education is especially popular among foreign students. Training is provided in English and Chinese. These higher education institutions have their own language training centers, which are intended for foreign students. To do an internship at such a center, it is enough to have a minimum level of proficiency in Chinese.

Over two years of intensive education, foreign students sufficiently master the national language of the Celestial Empire and receive admission to study the chosen disciplines related to the specialty they like.

If a student demonstrates an excellent level of preparation in all subjects, he receives the right to an additional specialty. In this case, his diploma indicates the points for each specialty.

Conclusion

Currently, China has a well-thought-out, level education system. After completing a course of study at a higher educational institution, young graduates have the opportunity to undergo additional training in graduate school. It has a two-level option.

At the first stage, you can obtain a master's degree after completing a bachelor's degree.

Only those students who have successfully completed a master's course are accepted into doctoral studies in China. Postgraduate education is offered on both a paid and free (grant) basis. In order for a foreign student to be admitted to graduate school, he must speak Chinese at level 4 of a special qualifying exam. The program includes a variety of specialized lectures, passing exams, preparing a dissertation, and seminars. In China, there is a mandatory check of the defended dissertation for plagiarism. The uniqueness percentage must not be less than 85, otherwise protection will be prohibited.

In order for a student to count on receiving free education in the Middle Kingdom, he needs to win one of the grant programs.

China still remains “mysterious” for many eastern country"with a rich history and culture. China is no less attractive in terms of education. Many parents want to send their children to this country for education, thanks to the country's rapid technical and economic development. However, it is worth knowing some of the nuances of school education in the Middle Kingdom.

School education in China involves studying for 12 years. It includes three steps. Moreover, since 2008, the Chinese authorities decided to approve compulsory free 9-year school education. Whether to continue education in the last three grades is decided by parents and the students themselves.

Before entering first grade, future first-graders are tested. The next exams await children six years after completing primary school. The exam grading system is point based. To enter high school in China, you need to achieve a certain number of points. If a student scores high, he has a chance to enter a secondary school at a university, which will ensure his further admission to that university.

After 12 years of schooling, graduates take unified exams similar to our Unified State Exam. They are graduating from school and also entering university. To be admitted to different universities, you must achieve different minimum exam scores. The more famous the university, the more serious demands it places on the level of knowledge of applicants. An applicant can send an application for admission to two or three educational institutions simultaneously.

Features of studying at school in China

A distinctive feature of schools in China is the high workload on students compared to the workload in Russian schools. The main reason is that Chinese is a very difficult language. Schoolchildren have to memorize several thousand hieroglyphs during their studies. You need to not only remember them, but also learn to pronounce and write correctly. The number of students in a class is more than 30 people, and sometimes reaches 70-80 children.

In order not to overload children, a resolution was adopted to introduce a school day lasting no more than eight hours. Classes in Chinese schools begin at 8 am. The number of physical education lessons is at least 70 minutes per week.

School education in China involves a 5-day school week. Usually children study until 4 pm. The daily routine is as follows:

• From 8:00 to 11:30 – classes in basic subjects (mathematics, Chinese, foreign languages);
• From 11:30 to 14:00 – lunch break and day rest;
• From 14:00 to 16:00 – classes in secondary subjects (drawing, singing, physical education, works).

Taking into account extracurricular lessons and homework, students go to bed closer to midnight. And the morning rise usually occurs at 6:00, because at 7:30 you already need to be at school.

The academic year in a Chinese school includes two semesters. After completing the first and second semesters, students receive final grades of academic performance in points. A 100-point scale is used. Teachers record students' scores in class registers. Parents can always be aware of their children's progress.

Strict discipline is maintained in training. If a student misses 12 classes without a valid reason, he will be expelled.

Secondary education in China is under the vigilant control of the state. All schools have government funding and receive funds from the treasury to upgrade equipment and repair premises.

Modern schools in China often consist of entire complexes of buildings, with long passages between them, and large sports grounds located in the inner part of the courtyard. Sometimes several thousand students study in one school.

Primary school in China

Children go to first grade at 6 years old. Classes for the first semester begin on September 1, and the second semester starts on March 1. Summer holidays are in July and August, and winter holidays are in January and February.

In primary school in China, they study mathematics, Chinese, science, drawing, music, and children also receive basic knowledge of history, natural history and geography. Studying China and the peoples inhabiting it, as well as obtaining political information, is mandatory. In addition, schoolchildren actively participate in maintaining order and cleanliness in school premises.

Starting from grade 3, schoolchildren learn English. From the 4th grade, children also attend practical training, usually in workshops or on farms. Many choose their electives and sections to their liking.

Junior high school

High school in China is a three-year education. After it, the compulsory part of education will be completed. Teenagers study the following subjects: mathematics, Chinese, English, physics, computer science, biology, geography, music, physical education, ethics and morality.

Particular attention in China is paid to the development of political literacy and the introduction of ideology into young minds. Children also continue to study in sections and clubs chosen at the previous level of education.

Complete high school

During this period, students can choose one of the educational directions.

• The vocational-technical track serves to prepare technical specialists who can find work in the manufacturing sector or in agriculture. There are separate vocational, technical and agricultural schools here.
• The academic direction serves to prepare teenagers for admission to universities.

Studying at universities in China lasts 2-4 years and depends on the specialty. There is a system of distribution of graduates, so immediately after graduation they get a job.

Popular schools in China

The Beijing First of October School was opened more than 60 years ago. Location: Beijing city. Education is provided here from grades 1 to 12, enrollment is possible at any stage. The school maintains strict discipline. After several violations, expulsion follows.

It is possible to teach children from foreign countries. Chinese language lessons are held for them throughout the year. After obtaining the basics of the language, you must pass entrance exams in mathematics, English and Chinese. Foreign students are provided with boarding accommodation. Tuition fee: 28,500 yuan, living cost: 6,000 yuan.

Tatyana L. (mother of student Evgenia) says that at school they liked the informal attitude towards the girl, the help in solving everyday issues, and the individual approach.

The school at the People's University of China (Beijing) is considered one of the most popular high schools in China. It is possible to train foreign students in any grade - from 1 to 12. The university specializes in the social sciences and humanities, with popular specialties: economics, journalism, and law.

The school is famous for the high results of its graduates. Most of them go to the People's University or other prestigious universities in China. For students from other countries, a one-year Chinese language course is provided, after which they take exams for admission to school. Tuition fee: 25,000 yuan, living cost: 6,200 yuan.

School No. 2 at East China pedagogical university located in Shanghai city. Considered one of the best schools of this city. It is possible to teach schoolchildren from other countries aged 12-18 years. A preliminary course in Chinese language is provided, as in other similar schools.

The school has an excellent material and technical base. This includes a laboratory, an indoor swimming pool, and numerous sports facilities. The dormitory has 400 rooms for students. Tuition fee: 35,000 yuan, living cost: 5,000 yuan.

Olga S. (mother of Liliya’s student) from Russia says that she can safely recommend this school to everyone. She liked the area, surrounded by greenery, modern dormitory and school buildings, as well as several excellent sports grounds.

The school at Shanghai Jiaotong University is ready to accept foreign students aged 15-18 years to study in graduate classes. First, students study the basics of the Chinese language for six months and only after that can move on to the main program. Here teenagers not only study basic disciplines, but also prepare for entering a university. Tuition fee: 34300 yuan, living cost: 4000 yuan.

Dilara says that her son is happy with his studies, he has made friends from different countries world, mastered Chinese and consolidated knowledge of the English language. Now he plans to enter a Chinese university.

As for Russian schools in China, we can recommend the school at the Russian Embassy in Beijing.

Documents for studying at a Chinese school

Every student from foreign country must have an official guardian in China. This can be any Chinese citizen or foreigner who has received an official job and a residence permit in China. The guardian must write a written guarantee for the ward that the student will behave well and study successfully. And in case of violations, the guardian will be held accountable.

It is the guardian who the school administration turns to when problems arise with a student. Parents of a student usually have to pay several thousand yuan for guardianship. Some schools themselves act as a guardian.

Also, to go to study in China, you must have a foreign passport and a student visa, which is issued only after concluding an agreement with the school.

Education in China at the moment, by and large, copies Western models, but has a number of significant features.

As you know, there are two options for the development of education in the world, both school and higher. The first, when they did it well right away and then simply developed it, and examples here are Great Britain, the USA and Singapore, and the second, when at first everything turned out disgusting, and then everything had to be broken and remade, as in Russia and China.

Education in China has developed in complex ways. We won't take ancient history and the Middle Ages, and let's start right away from the 20th century, when universities began to appear in China under the influence of British dominance in the region. With the coming of the Communists to power in 1949, China, which had previously been essentially a protectorate of Great Britain, changed course to cooperation with Soviet Union Having adopted the educational system of an ally, the humanities were pushed back, and the physical, mathematical and natural spheres were given priority, both at school and at the level of higher education.

Further, with the beginning of the “Cultural Revolution” in China in 1966, all leading university specialists were dispersed by Comrade Mao Zedong on suspicion of counter-revolution, schools and institutes were closed en masse, and friendship with the USSR was terminated. The situation of tyranny changed only with the death of the dictator and the coming to power of the main Chinese reformer Deng Xiaoping in 1977, who, by and large, began the formation of the educational system of China in its modern form.

General facts about education and literacy in China

China is far from the first in 2016 in terms of literacy in the Asian region. The percentage of literate people, that is, people who can read and write, is about 83%, which means that about 240 million Chinese cannot put two words together in writing. At the same time, China ranks first in the world in terms of the number of educational institutions- about 1 million and the number of students studying abroad. Education in China, in light of its inaccessibility, is extremely prestigious and expensive. Parents often save money from the very birth of their child for university, the completion of which guarantees both them and their child a comfortable life and old age.

Preschool and school education in China

Education in China begins for a child at the age of three, when he goes to kindergarten and finishes it at 6. Then school, which is divided into primary - 6 years, middle - 3 years, and senior - also 3 years. In China, compulsory 9-year education has been established, after which the student can continue studying at school and enter a university or immediately go to study at a technical college, which are very common in China due to the large shortage and high cost of universities. For all this, he needs to pass the Gaokao - the Chinese equivalent of the Unified State Exam.

Compulsory subjects in Chinese schools are similar to those in other developed countries: languages, biology, mathematics, physics, etc. Strong emphasis is placed on inviting foreign teachers to teach in English. The European appearance of a teacher in China is a guarantee of a decent salary.

School education in China is minimally paid - there are no fees for the education itself, but there are fees for operating expenses (transport, food...).

Universities in China

As already noted, higher education is incredibly prestigious for Chinese families. Saving money and sending a child to university, be it Chinese or foreign, is the life goal of the vast majority of parents. Yes, higher education in China is paid, and for a family living in a village and cultivating rice on plantations, the fees are absolutely unaffordable, despite the fact that the Chinese government is trying to develop a system of grants and targeted training, where the state pays for study, and the graduate then has to serve a certain period of time in a specified government institution.

The Chinese university system in China has been reforming over the past 40 years - many ineffective institutions have been closed, reorganized or merged with others. Tuition costs were rising, and the number of foreign visiting teachers and managers was growing exponentially.

The Chinese university system is borrowed from the West - admission is based on test results, 4 years for a bachelor's degree, 2 years for a master's degree and about 3 years if you want to become a doctor of sciences. Priority in China is technical and natural science education due to better job guarantees. Humanities and social sciences are of secondary importance.

In 1993, the Chinese government compiled a rating of 100 Chinese universities that can count on government support, and also created the C9 League of the best Chinese universities - Beijing, Shanghai, Harbin Polytechnic, Nanjing and others, similar to the American Ivy League. Subsidies for these universities account for approximately 10% percent of the total budget spent on universities in China. 10% is a lot.

Many point to the great corruption of higher education in China, although the government is trying with all its might (including executions) to fight nepotism and bribery. Since the competition for admission to a Chinese university is on average 200-300 people per paid place, which is incredible even for Harvard, connections are of enormous importance.

Education Trends in China

China, being a socialist state, actively encourages the opening of private schools and universities, which is associated with attempts, through private initiative, to close the huge deficit of educational institutions in China and raise the literacy level. Currently, there are about 70 thousand non-profit educational institutions in China that receive grants and subsidies from the state.

The second point is that China is Westernizing. There are regular reforms to simplify the Chinese language, which should improve literacy and make writing and reading accessible to many, and China has been encouraging its applicants and students to study and complete their studies abroad for the last 20 years, often in English-speaking countries.

Materials from the website economic-development-china.rf were used; chinahighlights.com; UNESCO World Data on Education; economist.com

October 9th, 2017

Yes, China is still advancing “on all fronts.” Everyone argues how he can do this, but it is obvious that education is the basis of everything.

Chinese schoolchildren constantly win international competitions; Shanghai has repeatedly taken leading places in the PISA test, while students are taught from childhood to meet all requirements and obey teachers in everything. Journalist Jenny Anderson tried to figure out how justified this approach is and what are the advantages and disadvantages of the Asian education model.

When Lenora Chu, a Chinese-American woman, enrolled her son in an elite school in Shanghai, many surprises awaited her. Her son was forced to eat eggs, which he hated. When Chu questioned the teacher's methods, she was reprimanded for questioning his authority. Her child was taught that rain can be drawn “correctly” and “incorrectly.” And the school refused to give him asthma medication because his condition did not require that much attention to his person.

In Chinese schools, the group always comes first, not the individual child.

Oddly enough, Chu responded to these actions not with condemnation, but with praise. She recounted her experience in the book “Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve,” which reveals the secret to China’s superior academic performance. . China's success is mainly due to two reasons, she said. First, teachers have authority that parents respect, which improves the quality of learning. In addition, from childhood, the Chinese become accustomed to the idea that it is not innate abilities that lead to success, but hard work.

“A Chinese mother knows that if her child is punished at school (no matter how), then he undoubtedly deserves it. In other words, let the teacher do his job in peace,” she writes in The Wall Street Journal.

Amy Chua recently published a book, “The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,” in which she argues that Chinese parents do not spoil their children, so they grow up stronger and more resilient and achieve better results. . Chu writes that teachers don't coddle children either, and as a result, students develop skills and resilience that American children never dreamed of. Much is expected of Chinese students, and they learn to live up to these expectations. Self-confidence comes from achievement, not from the idea that participation is all that matters.

At the same time, as Chu writes, American parents, on the contrary, believe that the main thing is to nourish the child’s self-confidence, even if this means giving A’s to quite average math papers. Chu is trying to figure out which system better prepares children for the future and what roles parents and teachers should play. Academic achievement or social and emotional well-being? The right to question authority or respectful submission to it?

In the eyes of Chu and many others, there is an established image of over-achieving, wealthy American parents who undermine the power of teachers for the sake of their children's results. Parents undermine the authority of teachers, while believing that they know better how to do it (but let’s be honest: most often all their knowledge of pedagogy comes down to memories of their own school, which they graduated from even before the Internet appeared there) . She writes: “Progress in the American system is hampered by parents who believe that everyone owes them something and devalue education with their attitude: for our children we demand privileges that have little to do with education and ask for mercy when assigning grades for the year , if they do not achieve the desired results. Our society expects a lot from teachers, and families have less responsibility.”

The Americans themselves came to similar conclusions about American education. Jessica Lahey, a schoolteacher and author of The Gift of Failure, believes that children are rendered helpless by (loving) parents who seek to protect them. When we intervene in our children's fights in the yard or extract grades from teachers, we prevent them from developing the necessary skills and becoming independent (and as a result we will end up with such things as "School for Adults" (an organization where young people learn to behave like adults - Editor's note).

Andreas Schleicher, head of the education department of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), argues that good teachers is the main reason for academic success in Shanghai schools. He says that the teachers he has observed in China see it as their job not to teach a child a subject, but to shape his values ​​and character. Children participate in cleaning the classroom - teachers and parents encourage this. According to Schleicher, Chinese teachers demand high results, but they also help children achieve them. According to the results of the PISA test, which is written by 15-year-old schoolchildren around the world, Shanghai has repeatedly taken leading places, while the United States has rather average results. Of course, Shanghai is a metropolis, and the United States is a huge country with great diversity, so it is difficult to compare the two. For example, in 2012, Massachusetts would have ranked ninth in math and fourth in reading, far higher than the United States as a whole.

Journalist Mina Choi, who sent her children to a Chinese school primary school, described in detail the pros and cons of the Shanghai system. Her six-year-old son had three hours of homework every day and no communication with friends (everyone was too busy with homework). Studying often consisted of cramming and mindless copying, even when it came to writing essays: her son was advised to copy other people's work in order to learn how to write himself. She sometimes wondered how many kids actually understood math and didn't just memorize the answers.

Nevertheless, Choi is confident that she would repeat this experience (according to at least, if we talk about junior school). She says it is a "tough, demanding system with an emphasis on hard work." She hasn't read Chu's book, but agrees that the lack of respect for teachers in the United States is a problem. Choi believes that an experienced teacher understands better than parents what a seven-year-old child should know, how he should learn and how he should be taught. “In America, the opinion of the parents is equivalent to the opinion of the teacher. This shouldn’t happen,” says Choi. This lack of respect affects both teacher salaries in the United States and how little the government invests in their professional development. Parents in America often complain because they don't have faith in the system.

Both Chu and Schleicher of the OECD suggest there is another critical difference between the US and China. Teachers in China believe that any child can succeed, regardless of their family background or income. They believe that achievement requires hard work and is not determined by natural ability, and they teach their students exactly that.

PISA results are difficult to judge the quality of education, but even they show that the poorest 10% of Shanghai teenagers are better at math than the most privileged 10% of students in the US and several European countries.

Yet, ironically, as Chu notes, Americans are not afraid to demand hard work and excellence from their children when it comes to sports. If a child comes last, it is because he needs to work harder, not because he is unable to kick a ball. “For us, ninth place in the 100m means that Johnny needs to train more, and not that he is worse than others. And we’re not too worried about his self-esteem.”

Research by Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford, shows that children who believe that effort is more important than ability learn better. Chu writes: “Chinese schoolchildren are accustomed to difficult studies, they know that anyone who is willing to work hard can become successful.” Therefore, the government has the right to set a very high bar, and children are taught to meet this level. Chu notes that in the United States, “parents protested when politicians tried to introduce similar measures,” such as uniform educational requirements in schools. Chu cites research that shows that Asian children perform better than white children not because of great ability, but because of diligence and the belief that their efforts matter.

Life as a Chinese student can seem one-sided. Three hours of homework is three hours when the child does not play with others on the playground or in the playroom, and does not give room to his imagination. Childhood is short, and many people believe that this time should be protected from overly responsible tests, ratings and stress.

The question, then, is whether the rigidity of the Chinese system is justified.

University of Kansas School of Education professor Yun Zhao points out that the better a country's performance on PISA tests, the worse its performance in entrepreneurship (he uses data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), the world's largest survey of this area). Research and consulting company ATKearney went further, showing that the estimated entrepreneurial potential of countries that top the PISA rankings is more than half that of countries that rank in the middle or bottom. So kids may be great at math and other sciences, but none of them will become the next Mark Zuckerberg.

Journalist Choi says there are other downsides to the East Asian approach. Many children are the only ones in the family; parents are absolutely devoted to their interests. They are ready to do anything for the sake of their children’s education, and they, in turn, in response to such pressure, often begin to deceive. Choi, who left Shanghai four years ago, says the education system there is "unsustainable due to corruption, floating criteria, unclear reasons why grades are given."

Moreover, complete power of teachers does not necessarily lead to better knowledge. Chu points to a 2004 study that defends China's widespread system of direct instruction, in which teachers show how to solve problems and students repeat them. And although it is indeed possible to learn something this way (but it still depends on the context), there are many other studies that show that if a child understands some issues on his own, this leads to more deep study material and can increase interest in learning.

In fact, there are benefits from both an individual approach and a group approach; both from academic success and from personal development. Zhao says the US and UK are striving for Asian test virtuosity, while China is trying to make its system more Western, less monotonous, with more emphasis on creativity and problem-solving autonomy. He writes that “East Asians are the first to witness how much their own education system has harmed children: high anxiety, high stress, poor eyesight, lack of confidence, low self-esteem and underdeveloped everyday skills.” And, for example, in Finland, where the approach to education is more balanced than in China or the United States, children who have less homework and serious tests are more likely to enjoy life and at the same time achieve excellent results on PISA testing.

When you have to choose between two extremes, either option seems a little risky. "I would rather prefer too high level education than too low,” Choi said (and wrote an essay about it), referring to the more strict Chinese schedule.

Chu says her children got the best of both worlds. “My son uses his imagination when he draws, he has a great sense of humor and damn swipe right in tennis. None of these qualities have faded, and I now share the Chinese belief that even very young children can develop talents that require serious effort.”

sources

Ksenia Donskaya http://www.chaskor.ru/article/diktatura_uchitelej_42522