Is the American education system really superior to the Chinese
one as the popular saying goes? Chen Ning Yang, Nobel Laureate in
Physics, holds a different view than that. It is too early, he
says, to draw conclusions and as a matter of a fact, for most
Chinese people, the Chinese education system works well.
"Two things are essential for those who want to be scientific
researchers: one is to lay down a good academic base; the other is
to grasp the latest information in the field," Chen Ning Yang,
Albert Einstein Professor Emeritus and Nobel Laureate in Physics,
was quoted as saying when he delivered a speech in northeast
China's Shenyang Normal University recently.
When he went to study physics in the US it happened to be a
prime time for the development of ionic physics, Yang recalled. It
was the right time for him to choose the field and he was lucky to
be in the right place. Because scientific researchers are more
likely to succeed when they throw themselves into a burgeoning
field they often can have a brighter future rather than in fields
without fresh impetus.
What's the difference between China and America in terms of
educational concepts? The education attitude of China is totally
different from that of the US, according to Yang, rooted as it is
in Chinese traditional culture. Chinese education tends to focus on
teaching, e.g., pouring knowledge as much as possible on students
with little care on how much or in what way they receive it.
Right after they come into the world, Chinese children are
taught to listen to their teachers and parents, to obey their
elders, which certainly shapes their ideas and attitudes when they
grow up.
Compared with their American counterparts, Yang went on, Chinese
students have very strong basic knowledge which can turn out to be
a shortcoming sometimes. American students can be more innovative;
good at creative thinking, while Chinese students usually stop
before creating new things.
In addition, in Yang's mind, it is too simple to say which is
better: the American education system or the Chinese one. It
depends. In the teaching process, Chinese students should be
encouraged to be more innovative while American students should be
urged to build a greater solid base. It is proper to combine the
two together. In other words, for most Chinese students, the
Chinese education system makes wise choices while for some who are
gifted, the American style looks better.
"My conclusion is that it is unnecessary to change the Chinese
traditional education system completely though we still have room
for development. For college students, especially those who are
very intelligent, schools should allow them or even encourage them
to jump forward. Anyway, for my part, the wisest method is to let
them develop bilaterally," Yang pointed out.
(China.org.cn by Zheng Guihong September 25, 2003)