BEIJING - A teenager's attempted suicide and rumors of a suicide pact among seven others who were all expelled by a Beijing senior high school for their failing grades has caused widespread concern over the downside of China's exam-based education system.

The students, all vocal majors at the middle school affiliated with China Conservatory in Beijing's Chaoyang District, were expelled by the school on Saturday, after failing more than one third of all the subjects, said Liu Yan, whose daughter was among the eight.

"She disappeared for eight hours on Sunday," Liu said. "Her cell phone was switched off, and we couldn't find any clue from her friends and classmates."

Her daughter, Song Yi (not her real name), a first-year student, failed in six of 15 subjects in the final exam and received a note from the school board on Saturday telling her to quit before the summer vacation ends on August 31.

Song returned home late Sunday and her parents found a bottle of sleeping pills in her pocket. She told her parents that seven others in her class were expelled for the same reason.

"She said they were scared and planned to commit suicide together," Liu said.

The teenagers bought sleeping pills from different drug stores on Saturday and decided to take the drugs the next day, Liu said.

Song, who said she was hesitant all the while, wandered around the whole day but dared not take the pills.

Her classmate, Meng Fan, however, took the pills at home Sunday afternoon after texting her mother saying she was sorry for what she had to do.

Fortunately, Meng, 16, was sent to Chaoyang Hospital in downtown Beijing and was all right.

Four other students were reported missing on Sunday and were later located by their parents.

Group suicide bid

In an interview with Xinhua on Tuesday, a vice principal of the school dismissed the alleged group-suicide pledge.

"Meng took the pills because she was under too much pressure, but there was no such thing as a group-suicide pledge or going missing, and all the other seven students were in touch with their families and teachers," the official said, giving only his family name as Xu.

He said all first-year students have to quit school if they fail in one third of all their subjects. "Last year, we expelled 10 out of 100 new students."

Xu said the eight students all applied for a makeup exam, but the school board have yet to decide whether their application will be accepted.

As all the students are music majors, it would be difficult for them to continue their education at other schools once they are kicked out.

"My daughter loves singing and has spent the past year solely on music," said Liu Yan. "I doubt whether she'll still keep up with her peers academically at an ordinary high school."

A year after the girl was admitted by the school, Liu said she was never informed of how her daughter was doing academically. "On Sunday, I received the first-ever phone call from her teacher, telling me my daughter had been expelled, and I was told there was no chance even for a makeup."

Liu and the other parents met up and wrote a joint letter appealing to school authorities to reverse their decision.

Exam-based education

Although the teenager's suicide attempt failed, the incident has sparked concern over students' mental health and criticism for China's exam-based education.

It is common for music schools to dismiss students with poor grades, a school teacher said on the condition of anonymity.

The school wants to keep only the competitive students who will stand out in the national college entrance exam and enter top universities, she said.

According to the teacher, the students' success will polish the school's reputation, attract better students and even bring about a rise in tuition.

"Exam results should not be the only standard to evaluate students," said Zong Chunshan, director of a Beijing-based counseling center for juveniles.

"It's easy to blame the students for not working hard enough or not being strong enough to face the consequences," said Zong, "but schools should give them more opportunities and parents should give them more spiritual support, maybe just a shoulder to cry upon, to avoid such tragedies."

Meanwhile, Zong said it is crucial for teachers and parents to help children learn to cope with hardship and challenges against the backdrop of increasing pressure in a fast-paced society.

Taking exams has been the way to get ahead in China since the 7th century. Back then, mastering the Confucian classics and writing essays were the tickets to a well-paid job in the imperial court.

The present-day college entrance exam, China's top test, was restored in 1978 and has since been the final test for most students.

Amid the mounting competition for entering a top university and, eventually, for securing a job, many children are forced to work hard as early as preschool - cramming in English, mathematics, classic poetry and learning to sing, dance and play musical instruments.

This, as many parents are convinced, is the only way for children to stand out among their peers and will help children enter top schools in the future.