The exam (Taiwan's college entrance examination) is also the best way for ordinary students to change their fate.
The college entrance examination in mainland China has just ended, and all students are waiting for the flowers to bloom for ten years. Across the strait in Taiwan, a similar test ("zhi test") was also held from July 3 to 5.
Taiwanese students have two opportunities to take exams when they enter the university, namely, the academic achievement test (referred to as "Xuejie") from February to March each year, and the designated subject test in early July (referred to as "zhikao"). These two exams are called Taiwan's "gaokao", and they are also the most important talent selection mechanism on the island. They are the best way for ordinary students to make a leap and change their personal destiny.
What are the similarities and differences between the "College Entrance Examinations" on both sides of the Taiwan Strait?
Number of candidates: Mainland hits new highs, Taiwan hits new lows.
Judging from the data released in recent years, the number of applicants for college entrance examinations on both sides of the strait has hit record highs for many years in a row, while Taiwan has shown a rapid downward trend overall.
In mainland China, the number of candidates in 2020 reached 10.71 million, a record high since the resumption of the college entrance examination in 1977; 10.31 million in 2019, 9.75 million in 2018; and 9.4 million in 2017.
According to the data of the National Taiwan University Entrance Examination Center, in 2020, the number of people who took the test was 43,753; in 2019, it was 49,119; Only 57,000 took the exam, a few thousand more than half the number of candidates 10 years ago; in 2017, there were only 47,000.
The college entrance examination was over, and the young lady rushed out of the examination room.
In fact, looking back on history, the number of college entrance examinations on both sides of the strait has experienced a process from "rapid growth" to "relative decline".
In mainland China, data show that from 2002 to 2008, the number of people taking the college entrance examination jumped from 5.27 million to 10.5 million. This is the period with the fastest growth in the number of college entrance examinations.In 2009, the number of applicants for the college entrance examination in mainland China was about 10.2 million, about 300,000 less than in 2008; in 2010, the number of applicants for the college entrance examination was about 9.57 million, about 630,000 less than the previous year.
Taiwan has also experienced a period of rapid growth in the number of candidates . In 2003, 126,000 people applied for the examination, which is the highest in the past years; after , it has decreased year by year. In 2008, the number of applicants dropped to 94,000, falling below the 100,000 mark. In 2009, the number of candidates was more than 87,000, which was the first time that the number of candidates fell below the 90,000 mark since the test was launched; in 2010, the number of candidates was about 81,000. Afterwards, due to the "low birthrate" factor, the overall number of people participating in the index test showed a rapid downward trend.
Refer to the test, cheer for yourself
Acceptance rate: about 90% in mainland China, Taiwan "0 points can go to university"
Compared with the number of applicants, the acceptance rate of college entrance examinations on both sides of the strait is rising steadily. Taiwan is better than mainland China. On the island, "0 points can also go to university".
In mainland China, the college entrance examination admission rate has gradually risen from 5% in 1977 to 33.86% in 1988, and reached 81.13% in 2018 (among which the undergraduate admission rate is 43.3%). According to some media, the admission rate of the college entrance examination has increased by nearly 16 times in the past 40 years. In 2019, the admission rate of many provinces exceeded 90%. Some professionals estimate that the overall admission rate for the college entrance examination this year will definitely exceed 90%.
The above data shows that in the mainland, going to university is no longer a problem, the question is only what kind of university to go to. Some people joked that as long as you study a little and answer carefully, it will be difficult to "can't get into college".
In Taiwan, it has reached a "new height" of "can go to university with a score of 0". Statistics show that in 1994, there were only 23 colleges and universities in Taiwan, but in response to the so-called "educational reform", Lee Teng-hui's time "opened the university", and Chen Shui-bian's time was even more overweight.By the peak of 2016, Taiwan's 36,000 square kilometers of land had nearly 180 colleges and universities of various types, the density of which was the highest in the world.
At the same time, the admission rate of Taiwan's finger test is also rising, reaching 97.14% in 2009 and 99% in 2016, so there is a saying that "you can go to university with zero points".
Professor Lin Yili from the Department of Social Work of National Taiwan University once told the author that due to the impact of the low birth rate, even if the admission rate reaches 100%, many universities in Taiwan will still be short of places, and there will be a phenomenon of "not enough to eat".
Taiwan's former "Minister of Education" Wu Sihua has repeatedly emphasized that by 2021, Taiwan's universities must be cut by 1/3, if not reduced to 100 or so, "it will be a catastrophe for higher education".
In fact, many private universities in Taiwan have completely closed and exited this year, many universities have been forced to transform, and public universities have begun to merge.
In Taiwan, the finger test also "tests" parents
3, the level of attention: both sides of the strait have mobilized the whole society, and Taiwan's military aircraft are banned from flying
During the college entrance examination in mainland China, many parents will go to temples to burn incense and pray to God, praying for good grades in their children's exams . Although the practice is a bit superstitious, it reflects the importance parents attach to the college entrance examination and the future of their children.
Moreover, the college entrance examination is definitely not just a matter of candidates and parents. Which sections of the road must be prohibited for vehicles to make way for candidates; where construction is not allowed to prevent noise from affecting candidates; campus safety must be guaranteed to be foolproof; every effort must be made to prevent fraud and ensure fairness... It can be said that serving the college entrance examination is also a role for the government and the government. One of the biggest "political" tasks of the whole society at present.
The same is true in Taiwan. The people and the whole society attach great importance to the examination. The situation is similar to that of the mainland.In addition to parents burning incense and praying for blessings in the temple, there is even such a story: In 2008, the test room next to an air force base in Taiwan was overwhelmed by the sound of military planes flying over the test bell, delaying the admission of candidates. Specially suspended for 3 days. When there are confused test takers who run to the wrong test room, they are finally sent to the correct test room by the police on motorcycles.
Fairness is supreme: also strictly prevent fraud, Taiwan was not allowed to turn on the air conditioner
How to prevent and severely punish exam fraud is one of the news that the media pays the most attention when focusing on the college entrance examination. After all, the college entrance examination is a fair competition in addition to the competition results.
is the same as the regulations of the college entrance examination in mainland China, and the discipline related to the examination in Taiwan is also very strict. Because Taiwan's college entrance examination is usually held in the sweltering heat of July, many "rules" are specially designed for this. For example, fans cannot be brought into the examination room, because most of the fans are paper, and things can be written on them.
In addition, because some candidates brought water or pearl milk tea into the examination room in the past and accidentally knocked over and affected the examination, Taiwan stipulates that except for candidates who need to drink water due to illness, other candidates' water bottles should be placed on the podium by Invigilators keep it.
Once, for a long time, in the extremely hot weather in July, it was forbidden to turn on the air conditioner in the examination room of the test. The reason given by Taiwan's "Big Examination Center" is that the test rooms in remote and impoverished areas do not have air conditioning. For the sake of fairness, all test rooms must not be air-conditioned, and can only provide fans or sprinkle water on the roof to cool down. This rule was not broken until 2011.
In today's information age, there are more and more methods of cheating in exams. The Taiwan authorities will send telecommunications police to use microwave detection vehicles to prevent fraud by means of communication such as mobile phones.
For fraud in the examination, most of the cases in Taiwan are only administrative punishments and persuasion and education. However, there is a voice in Taiwan now that calls for collective fraud and other bad frauds to be included in the scope of punishment in the "criminal law" in order to achieve fairness and justice.
