China education: systemic weak points could fracture tech ambitions, US commission alleges
- A US government agency, as part of its annual report to Congress, has argued China’s educational system is holding back the development of its workforce
- Concentration of resources, overemphasis on high-stakes testing and public indifference to vocational schools weighing down long-term progress, report suggests
China’s ambition to cultivate a globally competitive workforce – as well as its long-term economic and technological progress – could be stymied by deficiencies in its education system, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission alleged in its annual report to Congress on Tuesday.
While China’s strength has grown over the years in fostering innovation in advanced technology, the government’s strategy of concentrating resources in a few select schools has meant these breakthroughs have come at the expense of broad-based investments in the country’s education, the report argued.
Rural students are not getting equal access to education compared to their urban counterparts, which could leave the country’s future generation without the necessary skills to contribute to the economy, according to a section of the report focusing on potential risks to China’s future economic competitiveness.
“Even if top universities train scientists and engineers who can develop world-leading technologies, the workforce may lack the technical proficiency to adapt and deploy these innovations,” the report said.
The hukou, China’s controversial household registration system, remains a barrier to rural students who are restricted from attending better funded and staffed urban schools – even as many of their parents move to large cities as migrant workers.
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