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This is NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. Here is the news.
China's Ministry of Education has urged transparency and more supervision in college students' enrollment, upon the completion of China's annual national college entrance exam, known as "gaokao".
The exam takes place on June 7th and 8th, and attracts almost 9.4 million participants.
It was make-or-break time for these high school students. For urban kids, the gaokao may not be as decisive as before, given the diverse choices available. But for those from rural areas, success in the exam is still the only means for them to effect a change in their lives.
Moreover, to date, the exam remains the fairest way to give qualified candidates their best shot at higher education.
However, some people began to doubt admission transparency and fairness after a scandal involving a corrupt admission official was exposed.
Cai Rongsheng, former head of admissions at Beijing's Renmin University, was arrested a week ago on charges of receiving huge bribes. He is accused of taking over 10 million yuan, or 1.6 million U.S. dollars, to "help" students during enrollment.
The ministry has ordered strict adherence to the country's admission policies and severe punishment to any malpractice in the enrollment of college students.
This is NEWS Plus Special English.
The "gaokao" on June 7th and 8th has seen two days of grueling activity, both mental and physical, as students took the national college admission test.
The pressure on the students can be overwhelming because success in the test can open the door to a well-paid job and high social standing.
However, few students are as committed and prepared for success of the test as those at Hengshui High School in Hebei province in north China.
The school has gained fame, as well as criticism, for its impressive success rate and tough regime.
For senior students at the school, the day begins at 5:30 a.m. and lasts until at least 10 o'clock in the evening. Every hour is punctuated by the incessant ringing of bells that announce classes, break times, self-study periods, extracurricular activities and dormitory time.
The students spend most of their time in cramped classrooms. Although the designated food breaks last 40 minutes, many students rush to the canteen and wolf down their food in less than five minutes so they can snatch an extra few minutes for their studies.
The regime is tough. In addition to teachers and members of the students union who patrol the school to ensure discipline, cameras constantly scan the classrooms searching for students neglecting their work. Cell phones are not allowed, and students are usually given one day off every four weeks, after taking a monthly test, but they are also tested every day and once a week. The results are posted publicly to show the changes in each student's ranking.
The school is also famed for its tight management of extracurricular activities. Students are not even allowed to see their parents privately at the school gates, and with the exception of formal holidays, they have to present the doorkeeper with a permit from their teacher if they want to leave the campus.
The demanding system seems to pay dividends, though.
Last year, 104 of its graduates were admitted to Peking University and Tsinghua University, the country's top two. In the past two decades, more than 80 percent of Hengshui High School graduates have secured seats at noted universities in big Chinese cities.
This year, more than 4,000 Hengshui High School students sat the national test, and they will no doubt rise to near the top of the 9.4 million candidates competing for places at nationwide universities.
The success, however, has not come without controversy. The school is criticized for its rigid rules and heavy workload for teenagers. Amid concern that China's education system focuses too much on tests, Hengshui High School is seen as the worst "gaokao sweatshop".
You're listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Fng in Beijing.
More than 10 universities in China are willing to enroll the two high school students injured while stopping a knife attack on a bus in east China's Jiangxi Province.
Liu Yanbing and Yi Zhengyong in Yichun city were unable to sit in the national college admission test due to injuries sustained on May 31st while trying to stop a man attacking passengers with a knife on a bus.
Liu suffered serious injuries to his back and head while trying to take the knife from the attacker. Yi was wounded on one of his hands.
The city government has awarded the tile of "good Samaritan" to Liu and Yi, and the provincial education bureau decided to organize a separate "gaokao" for the two students after they have recovered from their injuries.
More than 10 universities including the top Tsinghua University has said that they would like to enroll the students with preferential policies.
Tsinghua University says they will enroll the two students if they pass the scores to be admitted by key universities, and the exam of their independent recruitment. The threshold score of the university is usually 100 points above the line they have drawn for the two students.
Tsinghua says they have paid great attention to students with high moral standards, and enrolled a few good Samaritans back in the times of the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008.
Other universities also promised to take the two students and cover all of their tuition fees.
The heroic acts of the two students have attracted public attention. Some suggested universities to adopt preferential policies to get admission, and others said they shouldn't be exempted from the exam.
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