The gaokao is an unfair test that millions of Chinese students take every June over several days. “The test is the only thing that matters for admission to Chinese universities”, Brook Larmer stated in the article, “China’s Cram Schools”. The gaokao offers the promise of a life that is beyond working in fields and factories, which means students study and practice for hours in class. I don’t think it’s fair that the students of China take just 1 test that matters for admission to Chinese universities.
There are so many reasons on why the gaokao is unfair for Chinese students, one reason stated in the article is, “it’s a lot of pressure said Cao. My mother constantly reminds me that I have to study hard, because my father is out working construction far from home to pay my school fees”. It seems very tough because Cao’s father is working far from home to help him pay his school fees so if he does poorly on the gaokao then it will be very heartbreaking for his dad, who has worked very hard to pay school fees. Another reason why the gaokao is unfair is, “Its critics say it stifles creativity and puts excessive pressure on students. Teenage suicide rates tend to rise as the gaokao nears”. I think it’s just sad that students so young have killed themselves as the gaokao has neared. They are put through so much just studying and preparing for it and at some point they reach a breaking point when they can’t take it.
A last reason why the gaokao is unfair is, “Many wealthy families are simply opting out of the system, placing their children in private international schools in china or sending them abroad for an education”. It’s just sad for the people who aren’t too wealthy, they have no choice but to take the gaokao and try their very best using all the knowledge they’ve learned in school. The article also stated that, “Rural students are at severe disadvantages. Villages like Yuejin, where Yang is from, have poor schools and few well trained teachers. Wealthy urban families can hire private tutors, pay for test prep courses or bribe their way into the best city schools. To me it seems like if your wealthy you will mosty likely score higher than the poor, which is most definitely unfair because the poor might not be able to have good teachers and practice for the gaokao.
All in all the gaokao is extremely unfair to the Chinese students, they are put under so much pressure, they practice a lot for it and it even causes suicide. It is probably the worst for the poor because they don’t get well trained teachers, while the wealthy get to hire tutors and even bribe schools! I think the gaokao shouldn’t be necessary to get into Chinese universities, why should one big test count on their future? I say the Chinese need to find other strategies for getting into Chinese universities because the gaokao is just a hassle for Chinese students.
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