2016-05-24

Chinese Protest Uni Admissions Change

FT: China university rule change sparks protests in 4 provinces
Like their state-run counterparts in the US, Chinese universities reserve a certain percentage of places for students from their home province, which are allocated through a gruelling annual exam known as the gaokao. In an effort to increase access for non-local students, the education ministry ordered universities in many of China’s most populous provinces to reduce such quotas.

The changes sparked an immediate backlash from parents whose children would be disadvantaged by the reform.

Reflecting the sensitivity of the issue, internet censors have taken down social media postings and online discussions about the reforms and ensuing protests. But some appeals are slipping through their net. One posting on WeChat, China’s most popular messaging app, called on parents in southern Hunan province to join a protest scheduled for Tuesday.

In an open letter to the State Council, parents in Henan also complained about alleged discrimination for places at the country’s most sought-after universities, such as prestigious Peking University in Beijing. According to the letter, first reported by the South China Morning Post, Peking University accepted only one out of every 8,900 Henan applicants in 2013, compared with one out of every 325 applicants from Beijing.

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