The pros and cons of Hengshui school mode

LUO JIE/CHINA DAILY

Editor's note: Hengshui High School in North China's Hebei province, known for its typical examination-oriented education system, recently opened a campus in East China's Zhejiang province, sparking a public debate on an "ideal" education mode. Three academics and a senior journalist share their views on the school's education model with China Daily's Wu Zheyu. Excerpts below:

Good for social mobility

Compared with students from well-off families that can pay huge amounts of money for their education, children from ordinary families can only depend on the college entrance exam to receive higher education and thus well-paying jobs. That's why students from weaker economic backgrounds are prepared to endure hardships to acquire education.

That economically weak students are prepared to meet the challenges of a strict education system-which the "Hengshui model" promotes-shows they are more comfortable with the Chinese system of education, which helps students optimize their social value.

The hardships they endure in the process will stand them in good steed not only in colleges and universities, but also in their later life.