| “附近沒有好的小學，肯定得擇校。”兒子還在上幼兒園中班，家住北京市豐臺區的楊海玲已在四處打聽各小學的情況。 |
"We have to choose another primary school for my son because those near us are not good enough," said Yang Hailing, whose son is in the second level of kindergarten. Under the Chinese educational system, kindergarten consists of three levels and is not required. Parents usually choose a primary school before their kids enter the third level of kindergarten, so Yang is a little behind schedule. |
| “家長們一般都在孩子上大班前就選定小學了，我們不算早。大家擇校的辦法有好幾種，買學區房最保險，但開銷較大，海淀區很老的二手房也得兩萬多元一平方米；再就是托人，即使找到關系擇校費也一分不能少；把孩子培養成特長生，又覺得孩子不應這么小就被定型。真頭疼啊！” |
According to China's enrollment system, students must attend schools located in their community. If they want to attend schools elsewhere, they must pay a "school-choosing fee." In general, there are three ways to choose a school. The best way is to buy an apartment in a community that already has good schools, although this can cost a lot of money. Beijing's Haidian District, for example, has many famous schools, but the price of an apartment 20 years old costs more than 20,000 yuan (US$2,928) per square meter. Another way to choose a school is to ask an influential person to help put the student into a good school, although parents still have to pay the "school-choosing fee." The third way is to train the kid in a special skill, such as basketball, dancing or drawing, but many parents are unwilling to have the kids' future fixed so early. |
| 擇校現象有多普遍？11月9日~10日，中國青年報社會調查中心通過題客調查網，對全國31個省(區、市)14081名公眾進行的一項調查顯示，多達98.5%的公眾表示身邊存在擇校現象，從幼兒園到高中，擇校幾乎已無處不在。 |
How many people are choosing schools in China? According to a survey conducted by the Chinese Youth Daily, 98.5 percent of people have either chosen schools for their children or have seen others doing this. The survey was given to 14,081 people in 31 provinces. Choosing schools has been a common practice across the country. |
| 擇校的根源：學校之間辦學水平差距過大 |
School competencies vary greatly |
| 因為“小升初”沒有提前準備給孩子擇校，北京市海淀區的嚴女士至今后悔不已。 |
Ms. Yan, who lives in Beijing's Haidian District, was overcome with regret because she didn't arrange a good middle school for her son before he graduated from primary school. |
| “名牌學校也就那么幾所，競爭太激烈了。孩子們大多從小學3年級就開始上各種培訓班，兒子小學5年級我才聽說擇校沒有‘證書’不行，趕緊給他報了英語培訓班，但培訓時間太短，考試又太難，沒通過。我們后來在網上報了好幾所學校，連參加考試的機會都沒有，想交擇校費都沒地方交。” |
"Good middle schools are few in number, so the competition is fierce. Most children started to take various training courses starting in the third year of primary school," Yan said. "I didn't know results of extracurricular examinations meant so much in school admission until my son was in grade five. I applied for an English training course for him, but he failed to pass the exam. I applied for some famous middle schools, but received no response. I would be glad to pay the 'school-choosing fee,' but there is no chance." |
| 北京青年政治學院副教授任寶菊發現，北京地區一般好學校首先看各種競賽成績：奧數有“希望杯”、“迎春杯”；作文是“春蕾杯”；英語要通過公共英語二級，人大附中還要求“三一口語”(英國倫敦三一學院英語口語等級考試——編者注)通過7級——大學生都不一定達到的水平。還有就是至少是市級三好學生。 |
Ren Baoju, an associate professor of Beijing Youth Politics College, said that Beijing schools give first priority to students who have rankings in various competitions, such as the Olympic Math Competition, Spring Bud Writing Competition and PETS (Public English Test System). The middle school affiliated with Renmin University even requires its applicants to pass Grade 7 of GESE (Graded Examination in Spoken English of Trinity College London), an examination that fails many college students. Another way to earn credits is to become a "three good" student at the city level (an honorable title for outstanding students who display achievement in academics, morals and health). |
| “市級三好等評優的名額少，大多數孩子只有猛攻競賽，英語培訓班價格一般在1500元~5000元。”任寶菊說，“由于不少培訓班可以推薦優秀生源到重點學校去，家長們已經到了少報一個班都不行的程度，交了學費，孩子上不過來，只有考試的時候硬著頭皮上。 |
"Only a handful of children can be chosen as 'three good' students at the city level, so most students have to study like crazy to get outstanding results in competitions," Ren said. The price of an English training course ranges between 1,500 yuan and 5,000 yuan, and some training centers can recommend excellent students to famous middle schools. Therefore, some parents register their kids in as many training courses as possible. Sometimes, although the fees have been paid, the kids have no time to attend the classes, so the parents will just force the kids to attend the competitions. |
| “考過了，也只是有了申請資格，還得通過學校的考試，擇校費是必須交的，這么不正常的現象大家好像都習以為常了。” |
However, children who do well in the competitions are guaranteed nothing, as they are only qualified to receive an application. They must then take the entrance exam of their target school. No matter the results they get, they have to pay the "school-choosing fee." This practice is well-accepted in China. |
