A high school girl's final run at gaokao

By Li Jingrong: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, June 4, 2016

Yang Nan reviews her lessons in a classroom at Jianhe County High School in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou Province on May 23, 2016. [Photo by Yang Wenbin/China.com.cn]

Yang Nan, an 18-year-old girl from Guizhou Province, is in her final run towards the gaokao, the national college entrance examination that is the only way for most Chinese high school graduates to gain access to higher education.

Yang was born into a villager's family in Nanjia Town of Jianhe County. She is one of the 1,248 graduating students from Jianhe County High School. As the examination date is drawing near (June 7-8), students bury themselves in textbooks, seizing every available second to memorize formulae, theories, historical events and geographical features while solving mathematical, physics and chemistry problems.

Yang's dream is to study psychology at Zhejiang University. To achieve this goal, the girl has been studying hard day and night, with her academic grades ranking first among all the liberal arts students.

"There are no shortcuts to anything worth doing in one's life, and I believe I will be able to pass the national college examination," Yang said as she seeks to overcome the original handicap of living in a poverty-stricken area.

More about the gaokao

The national college entrance examination, commonly known as the Gaokao, is an annual academic test held in early June throughout the Chinese mainland involving millions of participants, the majority of high-school students. It is an important exam for those who have accomplished high-school education and are applying for universities, colleges and other higher educational institutions.

The Ministry of Education and the National Development and Reform Commission recently issued a notice on the overall plan and management of this year's test. According to the notice, about 3.25 million undergraduates will be enrolled by colleges and universities nationally this year. The notice demands that local educational departments put graduates from rural areas high on their work agenda. The number of enrolled rural students cannot be less than three percent of the total intake of local key colleges and universities.

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