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Migrating college candidates could be left out in cold
The national college entrance exam, a standardized aptitude test in China, is an institution of meritocracy that has been revered over the years, except during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).
Meritocracy is supposed to be about fairness. But what if it contained a discriminatory element? It seems even an apparently impartial system can give rise to cruel twists of fate, as a 16-year-old from Hainan Province recently discovered. With a total score of 897, Li Yang came first among the southern island province's test-takers in the science category. But he may not get the chance to enrol at a regular college, let alone the prestigious Tsinghua University, where he dreams of studying. His mistake? He is an exam migrant. A high school pupil who leaves his or her hometown for another province where the cut-off score for college admission is lower and chances of getting a place at university are greater is such a migrant. Li Yang, a Hubei native, was not worried about passing the exam, but about getting into one of the nation's top universities. In Hainan Province there was less competition and therefore more likelihood of being admitted to Tsinghua. But there is a catch. The local government requires each candidate to have
Hainan residency and be registered with a local school for the last four terms
of his or her senior high school years. Li is short by a month as he enrolled in
October 2003, rather than in the customary September.
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