Reflections on Shanghai Students 2012 PISA Triumph

JUNIOR high school students from Shanghai won first place among 64 countries and regions at the PISA 2012， or the Program for International Student Assessment. The PISA investigates students’ scholastic performance in mathematics， reading and science. In the 2012 assessment， Shanghai students topped the charts in all three categories. The organizer， the Paris-headquartered OECD （Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development） released the latest results on December 3， 2013.

This is the second time Shanghai students have won the triennial assessment. It shocked Western educationalists， while also bringing some modest pride to China. U.S. students still languished in the middle， posing a sense of foreboding for U.S. educators.

Of course， we also hear sarcasm from Western media about mechanical memorization by Shanghai students. This should not harm Chinese self-esteem， as the society is itself critical – perhaps even more expressively and acerbically – of China’s exam-oriented education.

Yet it seems an indubitable fact that the level of China’s basic education is quite high. It was a victory nonetheless –not a bad thing.

However， the achievement indeed triggered reflection on the price we pay– is it reasonable？ Is it worthwhile？ Insiders point out that， the time Chinese students spend on studying basic knowledge is two or three times that of Western students. In terms of the gold medal these Shanghai students won， it is partly owed to this extended study time.

Regarding basic education， the East and West have different traditions and customs. Western culture focuses on the nature of children and respects natural psychological and physical development， while Eastern society has a 2，000-yearold tradition of reciting the classics. In reality， no one believes itself to be perfect. In the U.S.， the voices of educational reform are loud， so study time and exams at the basic education stage have both increased. Chinese officials are also urgently promulgating so-called qualityoriented education， and to this end， reforms for simplifying the college entrance examination are in the works.

However， it is not easy to achieve significant progress in quality-oriented education. Such high-intensity basic edu- cation can be neither simply attributed to China’s educational authority， nor to the college entrance examination. It is almost a norm in all East Asian countries and regions. Considering the situation in Taiwan， Japan and South Korea， reform of the college entrance examination might only partly resolve the problem.

Chinese universities have been ex- panding their enrollment in recent years. But the competition in the basic education stage has only become even fiercer. In big cities， even kindergartens have gotten involved. Kindergartens teach knowledge that should be taught in primary schools， while primary schools teach middle school knowledge， and middle schools teach universitylevel knowledge. On entering university， many students， as if they have made it into a safe haven， idle about instead of studying. We have to say， the soul of Chinese basic education is competition rather than learning.

Resources in China， as perhaps in all Eastern societies， are insufficient， out of balance and even display hierarchical characteristics in different degrees. In these societies， it is vital to procure the advantages of personal education. For children from low-income families and the countryside， education is usually a decisive step to change their lives. While urban middle-class families are not secure， enduring even greater pressure than their Western counterparts. They can’t afford to fail when it comes to education. For children， the examination is not only about scores， but a real-life battle they are forced to participate in.

Basic knowledge examinations are not the best but are an easy way to determine the education level of students. In ad- dition， it’s relatively easy to guarantee fairness during the executive process. Therefore， the middle school entrance examination and the college entrance examination have survived several reforms without any radical changes. If competitive pressure is not reduced， any form of assessment will be pushed to extremes by the combined power of the Chinese family and the schools.

We must face the macro realities of basic education in China. It is unrealistic to underestimate our own capabilities or blame others for our shortcomings. We should pursue improvement with a realistic attitude. For example， to reduce the price at which children win the PISA， to teach them to be more relaxed and optimistic while still doing their best to study.