Look at China as a whole. Seventy-five percent are illiterate. Since the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, economic policies have changed to favor the wealthy few. One of these policies has been the privatization of schools. Today the Chinese government contributes the equivalent of 1 cent per year, per child to their education. The young people toil away in factories without basic rights and basic benefits, that we take for granted, to pay for the education of one relative. The hope is that one relative can pull the entire family out of poverty with an education. The exams are so important. If the child does not receive the highest marks, he cannot go on to college and that entire family investment is wasted. It's definitely high-stakes testing. Unfortunately, the rural poor do not have access to the best schools and tutoring programs necessary to pass these exams, so the odds are not good for them.
Last edited by NGR; 08/25/15 11:46 AM. Reason: Poor word choice, "fail"
