Universities' war of words highlights the need to make enrollment fairer

Two admission officers from Tsinghua University and Peking University persuade a girl whose score in this year's national college entrance exams was among the top 10 in Guangdong province to choose their colleges. [Photo/IC]

Peking University and Tsinghua University, the top two universities in China, recently accused each other of "stealing" the best performers in the national college entrance exam via "abusive" social media messages. Both universities later deleted the abusive comments and pledged to conduct their student enrollment in a civilized manner. Comments:

The root cause of the disgraceful war of words between two leading universities is the flawed recruitment system. To put an end to the cut-throat competition, universities should be given the right to conduct real independent recruitment, which is not merely based on admission scores. More, administrative power should also be banned from interfering in the recruitment process, in order to curb rent-seeking and protect the credibility of China's higher education.

Southern Metropolis Daily, June 29

While acknowledging that a student cannot be judged by his or her test grades, many universities still prefer high scorers in a bid to maintain high admission standards. That explains why Peking and Tsinghua universities sought to defame each other on the Internet. Unlike those less known colleges which need more students to survive, they were only aiming to enhance their academic leadership in the country.

Beijing News, June 29

In effect, apart from some improper words used in their online argument, it seems that neither university has caused serious damage to the recruitment fairness based on the scores and applications of students. On the contrary, their competition seems to have sent some positive signals, as they showed full respect to young talents who now have a bigger say in which university they enter, thus prompting more universities to improve their service.

Ke Rui, a guest commentator with Information Times in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, June 29

The fight between universities over the top exam performers is the worst kind of competition. It is their pursuit of a fairer recruitment system and efficient educational reform that the public would like to see.

Beijing Times, June 29