A conversation about education in Wuhan
When teaching in Wuhan, I had dinner with several university professors there. The conversation turned into a discussion about current education system. One professor said: “There is a big gap between what the market needs and what state schools can provide. Most state schools cannot keep pace with the needs so private schools are allowed to fill this gap. However, this has turned into another issue because today we have so many private schools, from elementary, high schools, to vocational schools, and colleges. It seems that everything is privatized now”.
I told him: “Many schools in the U.S and Europe are also privates. I do not see anything wrong with private schools.”
He shook his head: “You do not understand our situation. In just few years, vocational schools, language schools, test preparation schools, math and science tutoring schools, and private education schools have become profitable business in China. Because private education is new, the government has yet to set any guidelines or standards to validate their quality so anyone with money can obtain permit to open school. There are private schools with poor trainings records but doing well financially. On the other hand, the demand for education is growing faster than expect. Our economic success allows people more choices, more money, and they want the best education to their children. Since state schools is too slow to change and too crowded, the better choice is private schools. Today the most profitable schools are private schools that taught completely in English. We know that with globalization, future jobs will require English language so graduates can work for foreign companies or to study abroad. With increasing demands, private schools are now competing with state schools for students. They advertise all kinds of promising but many could not deliver it. Our education system is in a crisis right now.
Another professor added: “Our education system is not the only thing in crisis, student attitudes is in crisis also.”
That surprised me since I always found most Asian students were very studious. The professor explained: “Today students do not know how lucky they are as compare with our generation thirty years ago. Many go to college without goals or directions. They often complain about too much works, too many readings, and too many tests. I have been teaching for thirty years but each year it is getting worst. I think many students do not want to study, I found so many student copy each other and often cheat on exams”.
I told him: “Cheating happens everywhere. Especially when students do not have time to complete their works. It is a signal that they are afraid of failure so they cheat. It is better to discuss this problem with them and help them to spend more time to study”.
He shook his head: “You are so optimistic. Today students are not the same as few years ago as evidence by their rude behavior and lack of motivation. They learn it from violent movies and video games. Many come to school without any preparation. They do not bother to do assignments, they write papers riddle with paragraphs copied from Wikipedia, or internet articles. Most only want to pass exams and move on to the next class. There is no accountability on performance, but only how to pass exams and get degrees. The result is we have many unemployed graduates. Since they do not have jobs, many are getting into troubles. They use illegal drugs, involving in anti social activities and crimes”.
Another professor added: “Students go to college to learn. If they do not want to learn, they can be “Kicked out”. That was what happened in the past but not today. If state schools kick them out, they can go to private schools which do not care about their education but only their ability to pay. If they pay, they can pass exams and that is why we are producing many “uneducated students with degrees”. The lack of standards and regulations combined with the huge benefits has encouraged all kinds of people to open private education as business. Compare with the overcrowded classes and rigid curricula found in state schools, private schools are more flexible with better facilities. They adapt coursework to the needs of the market. Many schools have developed online offerings, which students can learn whenever they want. Courses are easy to pass which is a big attraction for many students and their families are willing to pay for it”.
Another professor explained: “Our government knows that but cannot do anything as we are still behind other countries. We have tried to improve our education system many times but they all failed. That is why we allow for private schools. However, with so many poorly operate schools, the quality is decreasing fast. Today families want their children to learn English so they can send their children to study abroad. Many lost faith in our education system already and we do not know how to fix it.”
I explained: “The main factors for improving education are the local community, parents, school administrations, and teachers. If you have failed to improve your education system in the past, maybe it has something to do with the insufficient involvement of one or more of these factors. I have seen many attempts to impose changes from the top down, or from outside in but all of them have failed. Countries that successfully improve its education are those that obtained commitment from parents and teachers, backed up by various forms of local community and government assistance. Teachers and parents play key roles in any education improvement. No reform can succeed without the cooperation and active participation of teachers and parents.”
A professor asked: “So you think teachers should be leading the improvement?”
I answered: “Definitely, it is their roles and responsibilities. If teachers are waiting for somebody else to lead the education improvement then they are delegating their responsibilities and it never works. If they care, they can make it happens because only educators can improve education. This is the reason why I believe the social status of teachers should be considered as a priority. For many years, teachers are always respected as a noble profession but today it is changing as society considered social status is determined by how much money people made, not what they do. When teachers are not compensating accordingly, they cannot focus on their job of educating students. When education is no longer a respected profession, they cannot attract top students to enter the field. When you do not have good teachers, you will not have good education system and it could devastate the whole generation of students. To improve education, you must start with improving the quality of people who educate students first. If you look at the best education system in the world, you can see that their teachers spend all efforts in teaching without have to worry about making a living. No teachers have to do a second job to support their living. This is a fundamental for improving education system. Of course, teachers cannot do it by themselves. They will need the support of parents. This is the reason why I believe the involvement of parents in education should be considered critical. For many years, parents are always monitoring the progress of their children but today it is changing as they are all busy and do not understand much about technology or global issues. They do not have benchmark to measure the effectiveness so they let their children to make decision. Today the global world is increasingly influence upon the school, particularly through the information media. Thus, students receive so much information but less proper guidance to understand right from wrong and many make bad decisions. Teachers must be able to show them that information and knowledge are two different things. Knowledge requires effort, discipline and determination. Parents must be able to guide them that to be an educated person is much more than having degrees but also good character. Having degree does not make them an educated person but they must practice and apply their knowledge in a constructive manner worthy of an education. These are the fundamental principles of a good education. “There is a need for the dialogue between parents and teachers to strengthened current education system. Of course, this is not easy but it needs to happen in order to put an end to the current quality problem. Teachers and parents can contribute to the success of the education reforms. It is important that teachers receive continuous training and education so they can help to improve the education of students in society. They need supports from parents to deliver education of a high standard, including books, modern communication media, and a suitable cultural and economic environment. The improvement of education also requires government to face up to their responsibilities. They cannot leave it to the market forces or self-regulation to fix things. They must understand the challenges of future demands, and the duties of teachers in society; they can take these factors into consideration and generate the public-interests debates that it is your country future that is at stake and since education can help to improve everything, it needs the highest priority.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
