Drake

Comparison and Contrast of Education between the UK and China Liu Jianwen As two countries that have completely different culture, China and United Kingdom both develop their own respective education systems respectively, which have their uniqueness and similarities. In the paragraphs that follow, several mainsome major similarities and differences will be covered.

First of all, both the UK and China have compulsory education. Children in the UK are legally obliged to attend school from the ages of 5 to 16. In China, we have the nine-year compulsory education.

Secondly, the general education systems in two countries are quite similar. Both have primary schooling, secondary and university education. Pupils in the UK who hope to attend university have to sit A-levels exams called the General Certificate of Education-Advanced. To a great degree, this is almost the same as the College Entrance Examination in china.

Thirdly, both countries have vocational schools providing study and training for those who want to follow a certain career instead of seeking university education. And China’s TV and Radio University more or less share the same features as the Open University in Britain.

However, In Britain, there are state schools (free) and public schools (high fee), and public schools take up a rather important role. Parents in Britain pay fees in order to send for their children to study in these schools because to enjoy the high quality of education of these schoolsoffered there. Conversely, there are also private schools in China, yet they are less popular. And the comprehensive schools in Britain, which account for 90% of the secondary schools, admit children without reference to their academic abilities. And pupils can study more practical subjects like cooking and carpentry. In contrast, the secondary schools in China admit children strictly according to how well they can performtheir performance in the corresponding required exams. In fact, schools are ranked on the basis of the general level of students’ academic abilities. More often than not, these schools put stress on the test scores, so the subjects like cooking or carpentry are rarely seen.

However, nowadays the National Curriculum in the UK has introduced competition between schools. In China, there are not grammar schools but key schools where the most academically capable pupils can be sent admitted to be preparedas candidates for university.

Finally, there is a long history of the higher education in the UK. The famous Oxford and Cambridge date from the 12th and 13th centuries, and some Scottish universities in Scotland such as Edinburgh and Glasgow date from the 14th and 15th centuries. While universities in China do not enjoy such a long history.

Compared with the UK, for a country as China, which has a large population and imbalance of district economy and cultureeconomic and cultural development in different areas, the general educational level still lags behind. However, much great efforts have been made, and we are confident that we’ll make great progress in education in the future.