I too, find this interesting. So often American politicians will fear monger that the US is falling behind China in terms of education, but a closer look at what's happening in China's education system shows a very different picture. Access to even basic education is still a major hurdle for most families in China, a service we definitely take for granted in the US. I took a course in grad school on East Asian Education Systems, and if anyone in interested I can point you to some fascinating resources on the subject.

I find it very interesting that the United States fears to fall behind China, yet the article states that " Well-to-do Chinese families have another alternative: Many now bypass the Chinese university system, sending their children to the United States or other countries for college." I believe that although it may be much more subtle, we have a very similar issue with education in the United States. Many of the students at my school, which is a low-income, Title 1 school, also lack access to higher education for systemic reasons.

Thank you for sharing these articles. I too find it very interesting that in a country that is praised for it's education has so much corruption. I know that China's government is corrupt but they are also such a progressive country in industry and technology it is hard to forget that there is so much more going on behind the scenes. I am especially disappointed because of the poor families whose children are being treated so unfairly. As a teacher I can't imagine excepting bribes to give students better grades. It is a shame that China has gone from the such high expectations in education and government service to this system of bribery that will eventually catch up with the society and cause major problems when people are in positions that have not earned. I wouldn't want an engineer who paid their way through college and/or high school to build in a city with millions. Hopefully the new political parties in China will make the changes they need so that Chinese students can continue to attend school in China.

Thank you for sharing! It's extremely unpleasant to read these types of articles. Wasn't this one of the reasons why a lot of students were killed in Tiananmen? Just the family of those in power were getting better not only education but better everything. Unfortunately, this happens all around the globe, low-income families have a harder time to give their children a better education regardless of having a democratic, communist or socialist government. This article would be great for my AP class, I can have them analyze it and make comparisons between China, Cuba and the US. This topic will be very interesting to discuss with them.

Jose, education accessibility is not unique to China! It's the same for many Latin American countries, especially in Central American. It is expensive to send children to primary and secondary school and that's why the problem of illiteracy is huge in the Central American. Parents have to buy school supplies, books and school uniforms and most families do not have enough money to pay for all these things. In El Salvador, the FMLN, the leftist government currently in power is giving students uniforms, School supplies and a meal in order to address the problem they face with illiteracy. Most of the Salvadorean population are very poor and lack the monetary resources to send their children to school or a good school. People with plenty of resources send their children to private schools, which are superior to the public one. The program is in its second year, I don't know how successful the program is. Hopefully the aid will help these families with more access to an education for their children.