Daily Lessons from Life 06-07 June 2013 - Bra ban ahead of Chinese exam

"Bra ban ahead of Chinese exam - AFP Fri Jun 7 2013 BEIJING - More than nine million students packed exam halls across China for the opening day of the country's university entrance exam on Friday - with attempts to stop cheating even leading to bans on metal bra clasps. Students in the northeastern province of Jilin were banned from wearing clothing with metal parts and education authorities installed metal detectors in exam centres to clamp down on "wireless cheating devices", the state-run Global Times reported. Parents across the country visited temples to make offerings for their children's success, the Global Times said, while others were shown waiting outside exam rooms with food and drink specially prepared for their children. The test has come under fierce criticism on China for putting enormous pressure on students, and as a symbol of educational inequality, with many low-income students whose parents have migrated to cities barred from taking the exam in their new homes. In the parents' and students' hunger for success, hotel rooms, nannies and even intravenous drips are among the tools being employed." Yes. The ALL IMPORTANT, supposedly LIFE CHANGING, examination is here again. Year after year. Despite the many criticism and what-have-you, it is STILL HERE. It is STILL grabbing the headlines. It is STILL soliciting many jokes/parodies/etc. Lessons for me are: 1. for the educationists, it must be a 'no choice' situation. How else can you decide which student to allow into the handful of 'if-you-get-in-you-will-be-set-for-life' universities like Qinghua, Beida, Fudan, Jiaoda, Zheda, etc if you don't use a common examination?; 2. just like in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, etc Chinese- or Confucius-centric countries, every Ministry of Education has to grabble with this 'pre-university' examination. Parents pour millions of dollars into anything and anyone who claim to be able to prepare their kids BETTER for this EXAMINATION. Yet, I do not see everyone being a productive citizen and adult after he or she gets into the choiced universities. Having said that, it is true that many in such 'elite' universities do perform fairly well academically. Many become successful in life and career though not necessarily as a good human being!; 3. The question to answer is really: 'Is it true that it will make or break a person?' The answer is OBVIOUSLY NOT! This is especially so for countries that are big and diverse and afford its citizens many ways to live life. Be like any big city folks or like peasants in rural areas living off the land or lake or sea. Live simply and with very low cost at some really far out places or lavishly while working overtime or earning a dollar from 100m Chinese who buy your products or services or solutions everyday! Having a university degree is a good to have but NOT necessary in such countries. Compared to Singapore, the tiny Red Dot, maybe it is necessary to have a university degree. Especially NOW as the country seems to be bent on producing MORE university graduates in the belief that higher educational qualification means higher wages can be paid to the person. This is FLAWED as wages are decided by Demand and Supply. When the supply can be from around the region and the world, the supply is obviously going to be much much bigger than the limited local demand for jobs by employers. This put the Employers in the upper-hand and they can be picky and NOT have to pay high wages as many foreigners who are attracted to Singapore are willing to take a lower pay to be here. Singaporeans are in a no-win situation. Really.