The Developmental Context of China’s Education System
The Imperial Period (1500-BC-1840 AD)
•ShangDynasty (1523-1027 BC): the curriculum comprised six subjects:
Rites; History; Music; Mathematics; Archery; Chariot-Riding
•This curriculum was used for more than a thousand years. It was replaced when Confucius’ classics were politically adopted.
Confucius ruled education for an even longer period: two thousand years, right up to very recent times.
•During this entire 3500 year long period, it is estimated that only 1% of each generation of Chinese people received this “higher” education
1842: Acknowledgement that China needed western science and technology
•1905 -98 years ago -The then governing QingDynasty dismantled the system of civil service exams and inaugurated the current system of primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education, similar in some ways to western models.
1921: Communist Party modified the new system in an attempt to preserve Chinese identity and culture.
•But, hardly had these modifications begun when the Japanese invaded and everything came to stop until 1949.1949: Mao imported the Soviet Russian model of education:
•This brought the development of higher education:.
•New polytechnic and comprehensive universities
•Teacher training colleges.
But once again the process was interrupted, this time by the cultural revolution.
In 1976, it was estimated that even after so many radical changes to the system, the number of Chinese citizens enrolled in higher education was still 1%, approximately what it had been 3500 years earlier. The search was on for other more flexible ways of educating the masses, who after 3500 years of Chinese history, were still for the most part excluded from education and training.
1985: The “Decision of the Reform of the Education System”
•This established the university and technical college systems.
•It also granted some autonomy to some universities.
•1995: The Education Law of the People's Republic of China
•This was a commitment to universal education.
The proposed revitalization of the Chinese economy in 1976 required millions of trained and skilled workers. Once again distance education became the vehicle of choice.
•In western nations, television-based courses and programs were often delivered to fairly small audiences. But in China, television-based courses were to be delivered to the masses. No-frills, black and white, talking head television grew rapidly as a skills training device.