A Guide to Education in China

By: Richard Monk
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:26:41
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As old as China is, it has seen many political structures and education platforms. Here is a guide to education in China as it stands today.

We all know that both the government and economic approaches of China are based on the communist way of thinking. While foreign to most Westerners (in fact, to most everyone else in the world), the communist way of life has been the basis for much of China's current ways of living. While this type of government definitely affects how the population of China lives, it also affects some other important aspects of the country. One way that this can be seen is in the education of people in China.

The education approach in China might be seen by some (especially those in the United States and Europe) as being short. China only requires that each child has nine years of formal education – this is far less than the amount of schooling that is seen in other countries, such as the 13 years in the US and 14 years in Canada. The types of schooling offered in China are broken into three areas: basic education, higher education and adult education. Basic education starts with preschool or kindergarten, which lasts longer than it does in the US, with children entering this schooling program at around age three, and staying in preschool until the age of six. At age six, children enter primary education (elementary school). After completing elementary school, kids are then put into one of two types of secondary education: either academic (preparing the students for higher education) or vocational secondary education which prepares the students for work.

China does also offer higher education. Students who attend college have the choice of going to a short-cycle school (two to three years, equivalent to an associates' degree), or a regular college which lasts three to four years and can end in a bachelor's degree. Masters and PhD programs are also available. Finally, adult education (which also falls partially under higher education) offers programs such as Peasants' Primary Schools, Workers' Primary Schools and literacy training. These types of adult education are aimed at adults that may not have gone through any formal schooling in their childhood – and they also include places such as correspondence colleges and specialized schools for different industries and jobs.

The education platform in China is well organized, and while not exactly like schools found in the US, definitely rivals the schooling found in the rest of the (non-communist) world. Both adults and children are able to educate themselves to further their careers and working life.

Article source: Expert Articles