China’s top cram school: a saviour to the poor but rejected by the rich
Hengshui High School is a lifeline for pupils from impoverished regions, but its new branch in wealthy Zhejiang has been criticised for its controversial teaching methods
How far would you go to secure a place in one of China’s top universities? Pupils from one of the country’s most notorious cram schools spend 12 hours a day studying, attending up to 13 classes and taking just 15 minutes out for each meal. They’re not allowed to interact too closely with peers of the opposite sex, banned from snacking and are punished if their attention wanders during lessons.
The pupils, aged 15 to 18, attend Hengshui High School, based in Hebei province, for one reason, to do well enough in the gaokao university entrance examination to be accepted into one of China’s most prestigious tertiary institutions.
The military-style schooling has been proven to work. Last year, 139 pupils from the school made it into Peking University and Tsinghua University, China’s two top universities. The number was the highest among all Chinese high schools.
Over the years, Hengshui High School, which has been dubbed China’s “gaokao factory”, has set up 18 branches in underdeveloped areas across Hebei, Henan, Anhui, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. They offer their controversial schooling technique as the best way to help lift young locals out of poverty.
WATCH: Life in Hengshui High School