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Advice to students who fail gaokao

(bbs.chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2014-08-05 08:04

ColinSpeakman (UK)

It is not the end of the world to score low on gaokao and thus fail to get into desired university. Think of it as a new chapter.

It is hard for parents and students who perform badly on gaokao to immediately dismiss it and move on. The concepts of face and family honor spring to mind. Students hate to be seen as letting parents down. Yet society is not equal, there are people needed for different kinds of jobs. Arguably the 7 million plus graduating in 2015 are more graduates than society can absorb in jobs that can be seen to really make use if graduates. The 2 million more gaokao candidates for university than places have to do something else. In Chinese society doing the necessary jobs needs to be still valued and no shame attached to doing a non-graduate job. Chinese parents need to be realistic about this.

Xu Yonghua and Wang Yahong congratulate their son, who just finished the National College Entrance Exam, or gaokao, under a banner reading, "Guys, you are liberated!" in Xuchang county, Henan province, on June 8, 2013. [Photo by Niu Zhiyong/Asianewsphoto]