Chinese reality show puts ‘tiger dads’ to the classroom test – and not all pass with flying colours
- Exam gives fathers a first-hand feel for the pressures facing their young children in an increasingly competitive education system
The fathers of a class of schoolchildren in southeast China were given a taste of test pressure last week when they sat an exam designed for their offspring.
The test for the fathers of the 50 grade-three pupils was organised in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Friday by Xigua Video, a short-form video platform that makes a popular reality show about improving relations between parents and children.
The exam was designed to give the parents a better understanding of the difficulties the children faced in their studies, and included questions on metric conversions and pinyin, China Youth Daily reported on Tuesday.
It also quizzed parents on just how well they knew their children, asking them what their sons and daughters wanted to do when they grew up and the word they most often used with their children.
The fathers’ scores ranged up to 93 per cent, with the average 66.8 per cent, the report said.
Many of the test-takers said the experience left them feeling incompetent and gave them cause for reflection, the report said.